In the Eyes of a Saint
by Eliliyah
Summary: Canon fix-it. Before his death, Klaroline travel the world searching for answers to reunite the Mikaelsons and save the twins. Meanwhile, Carolope work together to stop The Merge and resurrect the hybrid... but what if the only way out is down the rabbit hole? With more questions than answers, the only thing they know for sure is that nothing will ever be the same. Hizzie. Posie.
1. Prologue

This story will be a combination of the time Klaus and Caroline spent travelling the world looking for a solution to the Gemini problem prior to Hayley's kidnapping. Present day will pick up after Klaus's sacrifice. There will be characters from all three shows, but probably won't follow the event in Legacies.

The title for the story is from "Grace" by Rag n Bone Man. It's the song that plays during the final moments of the season four finale of "The Originals."

Prologue

Somewhere in the Amazon – 2021

The air outside was sweltering. The moisture that hung in the air was almost tangible. Niklaus Mikaelson felt that he could reach out and hold the atmosphere in his blood soaked hands, but he couldn't really. He couldn't do a lot of things. He couldn't rule his Kingdom of New Orleans. He couldn't be a King. He couldn't hold his daughter without killing her. He couldn't even be in the same city as anyone in his family.

His enemies, well, he did have them.

For two years, Klaus had traveled the earth hunting down those who dared stand against him at his farce of a trial. A trial! As if he was accountable for the petty grievances of those he gifted with his eternal life! They owned him everything. He owed them nothing, and yet they thought they could subdue him? The thought that those idiots actually believed he would remain imprisoned for all time was laughable. Five years he spent there. Five years out of a thousand. Klaus thought back to a time he explained perception of time to a baby vampire long ago. A baby vampire full of light.

Caroline Forbes. In over a millennium, Klaus had never met anyone quite like her. There had been the bartender, Camille, and yes, he had loved her. But Camille wasn't her. She wasn't Caroline. Caroline. The memory of her face haunted him even though he hadn't seen it in person since the day she gave herself to him in the forests of Mystic Falls. As soon as he was forced to flee New Orleans once again, he had checked up on her. Upon learning his old friend and her new husband, Stefan Salvatore, had died and she had opened a school for supernatural children in Stefan's name, Klaus sent her a check large enough to last for years.

That was how it all began. Klaus looked in shock at the caller ID on his new iPhone. Her number hadn't even changed. It was a simple thank you call that turned into staying up all night watching the sun rise and set from different sides of the planet. She had changed. Klaus could hear it in her voice. She was forever stuck in the filler year of seventeen, but he could tell she had aged. She was the mother of twins and was married and widowed in the same day. She ran a school of children that depended on her the way she had once depended on her late mother, Liz.

Klaus always thought Caroline sounded like an angel, even when she had been awake and pouring over reference books for 18 hours. Sometimes their calls would last only a few minutes. Sometimes they couldn't say goodbye. She was his light in the dark night that his world had become. His brother, Elijah, had no idea who he himself was, so while the brothers had been estranged before, Klaus had never truly been alone. Caroline had also suffered great loss. They all had. Life was never easy among immortals.

Living forever meant watching everyone live and die one by one. Caroline was the last immortal left in her little band of misfits, her children Josie and Lizzie both being living siphoner witches. Elena and Damon Salvatore had both taken the cure and married. Bonnie Bennet was back from the dead for good this time, still mourning Enzo St. John. Jeremy Gilbert was all grown up and occasionally did work for Alaric Saltzman, also human again. Stefan Salvatore and Tyler Lockwood were both dead. Of course, Klaus secretly enjoyed the latter, though he did miss the former.

That left Caroline. Everyone she loved grew and changed, moving through each phase of life, marching to an eventual death. And she knew she would be the one to watch it all. Alone. In the end that's all she would be: alone. Then there was Klaus, who was also alone in his own way. Klaus would have run to her side after that first call had his daughter not been under Caroline's care, assuring he would stay away. The only person Klaus Mikaelson had ever put before himself was his only daughter. He had given everything for her safety and would do so again… even if it meant he would be forever alone.

That's where his enemies came in. In the beginning, they had been easy to find. But eventually, word spread that Klaus was on the hunt and his enemies spread to the four corners of the earth, desperate to stay alive. Of course he didn't always go for the kill right away. He always did enjoy playing with his prey. He liked to draw it out on more often than not. After all, they put him in a dungeon and separated him from his family for five long years. They deserved it. Didn't they?

Caroline didn't think so. No matter how dark his mood, she was the light. She had long since given up on trying to force him to abandon his revenge, but she never condoned it, either. She always believed in him: believed that there was good inside of him. In his darkest moments, he had raged at her to just let go of him and leave him to his misery. She always just laughed and reminded him that she wouldn't let him out of his promise that easily; reminded him that he was stuck with her now. Always and forever.

The promise. It had been ten years since Caroline's high school graduation, though she still looked exactly the same. Klaus did, too, of course. They always would. He decapitated some angry dead supernaturals and then teased her about her not-so-subtle graduation announcement. Just a normal day in Mystic Falls. He wished so deeply that she would come with him then to New Orleans. How different things might have been if she had. In spite of his dreams, he knew she wouldn't be returning home with him... yet. So he allowed the impertinent mutt, Tyler, back into Mystic Falls so that Caroline could see that relationship through until its inevitable conclusion. Then he promised to be her last love… however long it took.

Klaus intended to keep that promise. He didn't give his word very often, but when he did, he followed through. He was a patient man. He waited a thousand years to break his curse, didn't he? He could, and would, wait for Caroline. And so he did. He waited for ten years for this day. Thousands of text messages. Hundreds of hours of phone calls. Days of FaceTime. And today was the day. Caroline was due in the middle of this bug-infested jungle shack any minute.

Caroline's daughters were destined from birth to merge on their 22nd birthday, bringing one of them to her death. Caroline had been researching for years, trying to find a way, anyway, around it. He listened to her every lead and traveled the world chasing shadows. Finally, after two years, he had a tangible lead. Deep in the heart of the Amazon was a coven said to have answers for them. Klaus arrived the night before and helped himself to a snack of the local villagers. It always astounded him that with all the comforts of today, there were still people who chose to live in jungles with no electricity. He enjoyed his technology.

Fortunately, Klaus was no stranger to doing things the old fashion way. He compelled a couple of horrified survivors to burn the bodies and headed down to the river. He looked down at his blood soaked grey Henley and decided against even trying to save it. He lifted it off and used it as a rag to wash the blood off his hands and stubble in the murky water. Once he decided he was as clean as he could get, he pulled on an olive green Henley from his duffel bag and slid it on over his dark grey jeans and black boots, his necklaces dangling just beneath the soft fabric. He threw his bag over his shoulder and cast the ruined shirt aside and turned back towards the shack.

"Somebody's going to have to pick that up, you know." Caroline stood there is all her blonde glory, hip cocked with her fisted hand resting on its sharp angle. Unlike Klaus, she was wearing very little. She wore khaki hiking boots and dark green shorts. Her light blue tank top hugged her curves perfectly, pulled slightly tighter by her hiker's backpack. Her long curls fell out of her messy bun, framing her face in the sunlight.

Klaus stopped in his tracks. For a moment he was stunned. She was stunning. He had Face Timed with her at least once a week, usually more, for the last couple of years, but nothing could have prepared him for that moment. If he hadn't already been dead, he was sure his heart would have stopped cold. His face lit up with the characteristic smirk that the baby vampire had so longed to see in person. She was perfect. She was Caroline. And she was here.

"Hello, sweetheart."

New Orleans – 2026

Caroline walked the streets of New Orleans carrying the urn with what she saved of the two Mikaelson brothers. It was unseasonably cold for the time of year. The tears drying on her cheeks felt like ice burning their way down her face. She couldn't believe Klaus Mikaelson died saving another. They had said their goodbyes earlier that day in the bar, before he went to his family. She didn't know if anyone in his family knew of them, but she had certainly never told Alaric or her girls… or anyone. Klaus was complicated. He was private. And he was hers.

Now he was gone. Everyone left her. Or would leave her. Everyone in her life was human…ish. Klaus had been her forever person. They were supposed to have had forever together. She never told anyone about him because she knew how they would react. Klaus Mikaelson: The Great Evil. That's what they would say, but she didn't want to hear it. So she kept their story a secret, although she suspected Hope figured it out sometime in middle school. Caroline always thought there would come a day that everyone who would object would be gone and their love would be free. It seemed easier just to wait. They had an eternity, right?

Klaus had never been the villain in her story. She wouldn't exactly say he was Prince Charming, either, but he was never evil. At least, he wasn't evil to her. She knew he had done terrible things. She had seen him do terrible things. They had travelled the world together as often as possible for the last five years. After all, he had promised to show her the world: Rome, Paris, Tokyo. He promised to show her genuine beauty, and he did.

As glamorous as those destinations had sounded when she was eighteen, she greatly preferred the places they had been. Most of the places they visited were remote corners of the earth that time forgot. Caroline wished she could have travelled with him for the sake of travelling, but life hadn't worked out like she wanted. Did anything ever? They would come together for a couple of weeks whenever Klaus managed to break himself away from his revenge murder spree long enough to find an actual lead that could help Lizzie and Josie.

Lizzie and Josie. They were Caroline's reason to breathe. They were the children she was never meant to have. She was dead. She died before she finished high school. And yet magic gave her a family. Magical miracle babies. That's what Lizzie and Josie were, and that's what Hope was. It was a hard thing to explain, and Caroline had always been glad she didn't have to explain it to Klaus. He knew. He knew what it was to give up on having a family and wake up one morning only to hear a heartbeat from a life that shouldn't have been.

Caroline walked the streets reflecting on what should and shouldn't have been. The bars in this part of town had died down and the streets were emptying out. Her stilettos clicked on the pavement as she walked and walked because she had no idea what she would do when she stopped. Her world had just stopped. It was almost cruel that her dead heart continued to beat when it was so broken. But she couldn't break down. She was a mother. She didn't have that option. There are no breakdown says for mothers.

As she walked the streets and the stars grew brighter with the fading of the lights of the city, Caroline came up with a plan. Bringing back Klaus from… wherever he went… was impossible. But why should that stop her? Stopping The Merge was also impossible, but they were getting closer, weren't they? She hadn't given up on her daughters and she wouldn't give up on her last love. He had promised her, and some promises can't be broken.

Caroline walked back to the bench where the brothers faded away and sat down, turning the urn around in her hands, her arms resting on her knees as she bent her head forward. It was ceramic and older than the brothers themselves. They found it together in Cairo on one of their little trips. It was said to have restorative properties. Caroline looked at it and smirked, a trait she had picked up on the road. If she was honest with herself, she knew all along that this wasn't the end. She wouldn't let it be the end. Not yet. Not before she got forever. "I don't know where you went, love, but I will find you, and I will bring you home."

"And I'm going to help you." The older blonde sat up in shock, totally unaware that her private moment had been intruded upon. She prepared herself to tell off her intruder, until she saw shiny red hair. Her anger quickly faded to relief when she looked up into the bright blue eyes of Hope Mikaelson.

Caroline's smirk returned.

A/N Hey! What do you guys think? I haven't written anything since I was first in college... a dozen years ago. Should I keep this going? Let me know! xoxoxoxo Eli


	2. Trying to Find Our Way

Updated 5-13-2019 for grammar.

Hey guys! Thank you SO much to those of you who reviewed and flagged this story, and thank you to all of you who just read it. It means a lot that you like this story, especially since I haven't written in so long.

You might think this chapter is waaaay too long, so you'll have to let me know if you prefer shorter chapters. I'm a little concerned that people won't want to read it if it's too long.

There is some pretty lengthy smut happening up in the rainforest, so skip over that part if it's not your thing! And I *definitely* need some feedback on that because I haven't written any smut since before I even knew was good sex was, so yeah… I need you guys to tell me if I got it right.

XOXO  
Eli

* * *

Chapter One – Trying to Find Our Way

Somewhere in the Amazon – 2021

Klaus Mikaelson was over a thousand years old. He could conduct himself. He was a force to be reckoned with. He bowed to no one. His father had once tried to control him. It took a millennium, but he defeated him as he did every enemy. He even managed to escape the dungeon of the one creature who could kill him. He was a king. He was always in control. Nothing and no one could ever hold power over him. He was The Original Hybrid. It had always been that way and it would always be that way.

That is, until he saw Caroline Forbes in the rainforests of Peru.

Klaus's façade faded in the blink of an eye. Caroline watched as the gold came out in his hybrid eyes. The next thing she knew, she was slammed against a tree and Klaus was kissing her for all he was worth. They hadn't seen each other in a decade and Klaus intended to make up for lost time. His tongue began to explore her mouth, massaging her own. She bit his lower lip hard with her human teeth and he groaned into her mouth. He lifted up her legs and she wound them around his waist. Klaus kissed her like she was the oxygen he needed to breathe. And maybe he really did need her.

If not, he certainly wanted her.

Caroline kissed him back with equal force. Her hands automatically went to his dirty blonde locks and she pulled so tightly that Klaus growled and pinned her even tighter to the tree. The rough bark dug into her back until they could both smell the metallic blood. Klaus used his supernatural speed to pin her arms over her head with one hand, the other steadily moving its way up her shirt. He ran his sharp nails up and down her rib cage and she wrapped her legs tighter around him as breathy little moans escaped her cherry lips.

Klaus was about to dispose of her tiny shirt when they were, in Caroline's opinion, very rudely interrupted by a man clearing his throat. A few trees away stood a large man with beautiful copper skin and long black hair pulled back into a shiny braid. He wore simple linen clothes in a dull white. There were red and black triangular markings painted onto his rough and withered face. Klaus supposed he was an elder in his sixties. He had a curved bone piercing his nostrils. Around the man's neck was a necklace made of shells.

"I am called Otorongo and I believe you are expecting me. From the way you move, you can only be Klaus." The man's voice was deep, but pleasant. Caroline's face flushed bright red after having been caught in such a compromising position. The man offered her a small smile and turned around, beckoning the couple to follow along.

Klaus growled deep in his throat at the interruption and for a moment Caroline feared for the man's life. However, he gently released her delicate wrists and took a brief moment to memorize her face with her lips swollen from their all too brief kiss. Before letting her down, he leaned in and gave her a soft and tender kiss on the mouth and smiled at her. She smiled back and it was the most beautiful sight Klaus had seen in all his years. She hadn't changed at all. He knew she wouldn't, being forever seventeen, but it was nice to confirm it in person instead of over video chats. "You certainly do have a thing for trees, huh?" she said, laughing.

Klaus smirked as he replied, "I have a thing for you, love." Caroline smiled as they both dusted themselves off and picked up their bags before following Otorongo down a barely visible trail. Klaus tried to take both bags, but Caroline smacked him off and narrowed her eyes as though daring him to say anything. Klaus wisely said nothing.

The Original Hybrid reached for her hand and wound their fingers together, squeezing lightly. He was happy. It was a foreign feeling, especially since losing Elijah and being so far away from Hope. Even though he and Caroline spoke often, he hadn't told her how Hope found him a few weeks prior. He hadn't told anyone.

Hope learned how to astral project at the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted. When she magically popped in, Klaus had been conducting business. Bloody business. She called his name, screaming. Having been caught totally off guard and in full hybrid mode, he turned and screamed at her to get out. In a thousand years he had never hated himself more than in that moment. He had seen the terror in his little girl's eyes and knew he was the cause. Ever since then he hadn't been able to face her, or anyone else in his family either. Caroline was the last person on earth he ever wanted to find out about it, so he kept it to himself, as he had so many things over the course of his long life.

For the moment, Klaus set aside his painful past and focused on the beautiful woman walking alongside him. He knew she hadn't travelled very much in her short immortality. He had once promised to show her the world and that was a promise he was very pleased to finally keep. There weren't a lot of places left for Klaus to explore. He hadn't been on this exact trail, but he had visited this jungle several times.

Caroline looked around in wonder at the lush terrain. As a vampire, all of her senses were heightened. She could hear tiny bugs buzzing all around them, monkeys chattering far in the distance, the calming sounds of the river flowing along. Colors were everywhere – every color. There were flowers and animals and all the vegetation. The jungle smelled of rich soil, fragrant plants, the river, fresh rain drops, everything. The smells were so vivid she could taste the air around her. As they walked along, she couldn't resist running her free hand along everything she could reach. The ground was crunchy beneath her feet while the leaves and flowers were soft against her skin.

Eventually the young blonde came out of her trance and looked over to the man next to her. He had been watching her in awe. She was his own personal goddess: his light in the dark. She turned to him and lightly cleared her throat, somewhat embarrassed. "Sorry, I've never seen anything like this. It's so beautiful." Klaus just smiled at her, so she continued. "Is this the witch you told me about?"

"Indeed. I'll believe it when I see it myself, but the ancient carvings you spoke of should be in a cavern beneath the forest: the ones about the twins. The humans have only recently discovered their whereabouts, but they were used centuries ago by the witches that once inhabited this forest en masse," Klaus shared, having acquired this knowledge while hunting down an old enemy in Chile. That was his life now: hunt and kill his enemies by night and search for answers for Caroline by day. Or vice versa. There wasn't a time clock on murder.

"Well, I certainly hope so, but I have to know, Klaus. How did you get this guy to help YOU of all people? Witches hate vampires, especially Originals," Caroline pointed out as they stepped over several large roots. The question had been nagging at her for days. She knew who and what Klaus was. She knew he had it in him to be a monster and always would, no matter how gentle he was with her and their respective daughters.

Klaus looked at her sideways, somewhat amused. He knew where she was going with this. She was afraid he had slaughtered a whole village of innocents to get his way. He didn't particularly hold it against her because no matter how much he ever redeemed himself, that was absolutely something he would do to get the answers he needed. He still held very little regard for human life. He'd burn a thousand villages if it meant saving Caroline's twins. They were important to her, so they were important to him. It was that simple, but he knew she didn't exactly see it that way. "Do you really want the answer to that question?"

Caroline thought about it as she dodged a giant spider web, grateful that even if some deadly arachnid did get her, the bite would heal instantly. "Honestly, I've asked myself many times how much I want to know what it is you do, but yes. I want to know. Tell me." She took a deep breath, bracing herself for his answer.

Without blinking Klaus responded, "I kidnapped his only daughter and am holding her captive until I see the cavern for myself." Caroline dropped his hand and stopped walking, horrified. Her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. Klaus stared at her, his face deadpan. And then, to Caroline's shock, Klaus began laughing. "Relax, sweetheart. I did nothing of the sort. If you must know, I bribed him."

Caroline in no way saw the humor in their situation. "You… bribed him? Like, with money?"

Klaus tried to calm himself as he began moving forward to keep up with the witch ahead of them. "It's the twenty first century, Caroline. He actually has several children and I bought the whole family iPhones."

Finally Caroline cracked a smile, grinning widely. "iPhones, Klaus? Seriously?"

Klaus shrugged, taking her hand again. "It was actually quite a low price, in my opinion, but that's what he requested in exchange for our little walk in the woods. I just hope something comes to fruition."

Contrary to Klaus' description, it was not a little walk in the woods. After several hours, the novelty of their surroundings had worn off and Caroline had had just about enough of the great outdoors. She looked up through the canopy in dismay as she realized the sun had nearly set. They were going to have to stop and stay the night. Klaus had warned her to pack for a long hike, but she was so excited to finally be seeing him that she really didn't think about the ramifications of camping in the Amazon.

Klaus was a billion or something. There was no doubt in her mind that he had spent plenty of nights in random forests and beaches and desserts, etc. However, she was a girl of the current century. The closest she had come to camping was the campsite in Mystic Falls, which was actually a series of large sand boxes with electrical outlets coming out of the ground and running water in the bathroom nearby. She was NOT down with sleeping in the dirt. She was hot and sticky and needed a long shower. While her supernatural abilities kept her stamina up and her muscles from aching, they did nothing to keep her from getting grumpy after what felt like walking forever.

"Are we almost there?" Caroline yelled towards Otorongo, who was several yards ahead of them.

The old witch turned around and waited for the vampires to catch up. Klaus noticed he had laugh lines around his mouth and eyes. He really was a very agreeable witch, especially compared to the idiots he'd dealt with in New Orleans and the terror that was The Hollow. For the most part, Klaus didn't notice the black magic that ran through his veins. But at times he heard the whispers that sounded so far away, but that really existed only in his mind. The whispers seemed to grow louder when he was near witches, so he had made sure to keep a fair distance between them and their guide.

"We have lot of kilometers to go, but if we continue it will be much dark upon our arrival. It would be good now to stop and wait for the sun to return," the witch spoke slowly. It was obvious English was not his first language, but Klaus thought he spoke it very well compared to so many others he had spoken with in his long life. He and his family all spoke many languages and dialects fluently, although most had changed and evolved over the centuries.

Klaus nodded his agreement and they stopped after finding decent land on which to settle. He had no problem using his duffle bag as a pillow and laying directly on the forest floor, but he looked up and smirked when he saw Caroline's obvious discomfort. As tempting as it was to tease her about this, he knew she was tired and decided to have mercy on her. He took her pack from her and pulled out a small tent. He didn't say it, but he thought her giant bag contained a ridiculous amount of supplies for a simple hike.

It took him no time at all to assemble the tent for his lovely companion, who smiled gratefully. She stepped into the tent and set down her light blanket and rolled up her extra clothes into a makeshift pillow, leaving the rest of her pack outside as it would have taken up too much space. She marveled at how small Klaus' bag was and wondered how he could possibly get by for a whole night with so little. She felt disgusting and longed for a hot shower. Sighing, she took a bottle of clean water and a wash cloth out and set to the task of cleaning herself up using the many hygiene products she had deemed necessary. While she busied herself getting ready for bed she heard Klaus splashing in the river, obviously not caring about sanitary bathing habits.

When Caroline came out of the tent quite some time later, Klaus had built a small fire next to a large tree trunk he had ripped up to use as a bench. He was using the fire to warm two blood bags from his duffle. He despised blood bags, but he knew Caroline wouldn't approve of him snacking on Otorongo. For a moment he thought how his older brother Elijah would call him a heathen for drinking from plastic. Or, Elijah would have… if he had any idea who his younger brother was. Pushing his gloomy thoughts away quickly, he handed one to Caroline as he looked up to her face. She was now dressed in thin cotton light blue pajama pants with pink bunnies on them and a soft white t shirt. On her feet she wore ridiculous fluffy bunny slippers. Klaus sucked in a breath when he realized she was very obviously not wearing anything under her pajamas. His eyes flashed golden for a moment and Caroline looked away, blushing.

Klaus typically didn't wear anything to bed, but seeing as it was his first night with Caroline, and he didn't want to rush her, he had put his jeans back on, minus the boots and Henley. Caroline looked at him after a moment and her eyes, too, darkened with lust. It had taken over a year for their relationship to turn romantic as she was still mourning Stefan, but Klaus was a patient man and had waited for her to come to him. He noticed when he first saw her on FaceTime that she wore her wedding rings on a chain around her neck. They were still there, but it didn't bother him. After all, he knew all along that he wasn't her first love. He was her last.

Caroline sat down next to him on the log and sipped her B positive. Her eyes closed as she savored the warm, thick, delicious liquid. Klaus watched as the veins under her eyes blackened, completely entranced by her beauty. He memorized her face so he could immortalize it in paint at the earliest possible opportunity. Having been such a nomad in recent years, he didn't paint as often as he did when he was sedentary. When he did paint, he always used one of two subjects: the two girls who held his heart – Caroline and Hope. Klaus quickly drank his own bag and tossed both back into his duffle, knowing Caroline would have something to say about it if he littered the forest floor.

The blonde vampire scooted closer to the hybrid and rested her head on his shoulder, winding one hand in his necklaces and using the other to draw little circles on his chest. He pulled her towards him further and wrapped his arms around her, gently stroking her shoulder and arm down to her elbow. His cheek came to rest on the top of her head as they both stared at the fire. Caroline lifted one leg and Klaus pulled it to rest over his knee, her bunny slipper falling between his legs. His other hand found its way to her thigh and she felt sparks shoot through her at even that light touch. She didn't need supernatural hearing to know his heart sped up.

Klaus wanted her. Badly.

The newly reunited couple sat on the log in comfortable silence until the fire was nothing but embers and the moon and stars the last remaining light. Klaus untangled himself from Caroline and stood in one fluid movement. He held his hand out and offered it to her. She laughed while taking it. "Always the gentleman."

Klaus smirked as he guided her the short distance to their tent. He held the flap open while she crawled in as if it were the door to a castle, drawing bright giggles from Caroline. Once inside, she kicked off her bunny slippers. He joined her, both of them laying on their sides to face the other. Caroline rested her head on his arm while he placed his other on her hip, pulling her close. She felt that same jolt of electricity go through her and settle in her lower belly. She looked up into his eyes from under her lashes and saw that his had turned a deep, deep blue. She leaned up and kissed him. At that moment he knew she wanted him just as badly, and that was all the encouragement he needed.

Klaus moved his hand from her hip and used it to grab her bottom, digging his fingertips into her as his mouth crashed down on hers in a bruising kiss. He bit down on her lower lip with his human teeth so hard that he tasted her blood. She kissed him back with equal fervor, winding her fingers into his hair and pulling him even closer. She swung her leg over his and moved to roll on top of him, but Klaus vamp sped her to the ground, pinning her hands on the sides on her head. She knew from previous experience that Klaus very aggressively wanted to be on top, so it wasn't a surprise. In fact, she had been looking forward to it. As much as Caroline Forbes was a complete and utter control freak, sex was the one place she liked being dominated. The hybrid was only too happy to oblige. It wasn't something she had ever done before, but it worked with Klaus. Everything about him radiated power. She felt the juices pooling between her legs as he lifted her thigh to wrap her legs around his waist.

Klaus gripped her wrists so tightly that Caroline was sure she'd have bruises in the morning had she still been human. He used his body to pin her down hard against the ground. She could feel how badly he wanted her as he ground his painfully stiff erection into her. As much as he wanted to take her as fast and as hard as possible, he also wanted to savor her. He'd had her one time long ago and that had been rough and dirty. He didn't doubt that they would do it like that time and time again, but for right now he wanted to explore.

He pulled up from their kiss and motioned with his head and eyes to keep her hands where he put them. When she nodded, he released her and used both of his hands to knead and caress every inch of her upper body. He kissed her neck and nibbled on her pulse point, drawing a moan from her as she tilted her head to allow better access. One hand smoothly ran down her side, making her shiver as it continued its descent all the way down her body. His other hand moved under her shirt and massaged her breasts, tweaking each nipple until they pebbled at his touch.

Suddenly, he ripped her shirt off, tearing it in half like tissue paper. He kissed his way down her neck to her shoulders and down her upper arms and over to her breasts. She made a small strangled sound when he bit down hard on one of her nipples, using his tongue to massage away the pain. He repeated this delicious torture all over her breasts, shoulders, neck, anything his mouth could reach. Caroline just let her head fall back and held her arms still so he wouldn't stop. She allowed herself to get lost in the sensation of his skin on hers as his pelvis ground into her at a steady pace.

Klaus slowly, teasingly, slid his fingertips down towards Caroline's throbbing core. He gently stroked her lips through the very thin fabric of her pajama pants. He found that she was completely soaked through her clothes and smiled because he knew it was all for him. He continued biting and sucking on her flesh as he played with her. She began to pant and whine. "Klaus, please…" He bit down hard on her nipple to silence her. However, Caroline Forbes wasn't very good at staying silent, so she continued her quiet begging, urging him to move faster. She ground down with her pelvis onto his fingers to try and gain any type of friction and finally he stilled his hand. "Oh God, Klaus, please, don't stop."

Klaus stopped his ministrations long enough to look down at her. "All in good time, love. All in good time," he told her with his characteristic smirk. Caroline was breathing heavily as she frantically nodded her head, silently begging him to continue. After a few minutes, he rewarded her by pulling down her pants and tossing them aside faster than she could blink. Now that he had her completely naked and writhing beneath him, he took a moment to savor the view, hovering over her. He growled deep in the back of his throat as his eyes flashed bright, glowing gold. He supported himself on his elbows as he kissed and bit his way down her body, between her breasts, down her stomach and down to her inner thighs. He bit her over and over, up and down, each time laving his tongue over the rapidly fading bruises, occasionally drawing tiny amounts of blood. He ran his hand down her outer thighs and shins and all the way to the bottoms of her feet, making her curl her toes.

Caroline could barely contain herself. She was on total and complete sensory overload. Every time Klaus touched her she felt like he was leaving a trail of fire and lightning in his wake. Her core was throbbing painfully and she just knew that as soon as he touched her where she needed it she would explode in bliss. It was all she could do to keep from outright begging. She had to bite down on her lip to keep the words buried. She made desperate whining sounds urging him to continue. The closer he got, the deeper her fingernails dug into her palms, eventually drawing blood.

He licked his way up and down her lower lips agonizingly slowly, nearly sending her into tears. She wanted him so badly she could scarcely breathe. She bucked her hips forward and he quickly pinned her hips down with his forearm, his grip iron, though not painful. She let out a frustrated moan and could feel Klaus chuckling at her. He stopped completely and looked up at her, delighted and smiling playfully. "Something wrong, sweetheart?"

She looked down at him pleadingly. "Klaus… please… please, please, please…"

Klaus's smile widened, thoroughly enjoying the moment. "Please… what? Did you need something?" he asked, completely feigning his ignorance.

"I need to come, Klaus! Please for the love of God just make me come!" she begged, throwing her head back onto the hard ground.

"Oh, you want me to make you come? Oh… Hmmm…" He pretended to contemplate her request for a moment while she squirmed beneath him. He returned to his torture, slowly licking up her velvety smooth lips. He did enjoy the grooming of this century. There was nothing interrupting his view of Caroline in all her pink and dripping beauty. He brought his other hand slowly up her inner thigh and gently pushed past her lips and finally entered her with a single finger. He felt her straining against his arm holding down her hips, but she was no match for him, so he gleefully continued to pin her down. He lifted her legs, bending them at the knee so he could gain better access. He added a second finger and she moaned out ohhhs and ahhhs, her heels digging into the ground through her blanket. He slowly, slowly, slowly circled her swollen clit with his skilled tongue. He held his fingers deep inside of her and stopped, looking up at her as though deep in thought. "I'll think about it," he smiled, mirth dancing in his eyes as her upper body trembled in desperate frustration.

He sped up his fingers very slowly as he kissed and nipped all over her mound and lips, careful to avoid where she needed him most. He knew she was close and all it would take was a tiny bit from him and she'd explode. He sped up further and moved harder and deeper, grinning up at her, moving his arm at last so his view of her face was unobstructed. "Come for me, sweetheart." He quickly closed his lips around her clit and circled it with his tongue as he sucked and that was it. The entire world exploded in a flash of light as her orgasm ripped through every inch of her body. Her head went flying back as tears of relief and ecstasy streamed down her cheeks and her screams rang in his ears. Klaus lightened the pressure and helped her slowly come back down to earth.

As her breathing steadied, the hybrid kissed and nuzzled his way up her body until he gently kissed her lips, resting his head on his hand with his elbow on the ground. He slowly removed his fingers from her core and brought them up to her lips, encouraging her to open her mouth. She did and she licked and sucked her own juices off of him. He pulled out his fingers and tenderly stroked her cheek with the back of his knuckles, whispering a loving, "Good girl."

Klaus looked down at Caroline in total awe of her beauty. He was painfully hard himself, straining against his jeans, but he barely noticed. He was so lost in her that the world could have exploded and he'd never know. He gazed down at her flushed face until she eventually opened her eyes and peered into his. He was smiling down at her, dimples fully showing. She smiled back and gave him a tiny kiss on his raspberry lips. "That was amazing. Thank you."

He kissed her in the same way before answering, "You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, love." Deciding it was safe to move her hands now, she brought her arms around his neck and kissed him again. He kissed her back, slowly and sensually. He opened her lips with his own, massaging her tongue as he slid his into her warm mouth. He rolled back on top of her and deepened their kiss. This time he decided not to pin her down and gave her free reign to run her palms all over his neck, shoulders and back. As she raked her nails down his spine, he raised her legs to wrap around him once again.

Klaus thoroughly enjoyed torturing Caroline and looked forward to being able to do so for the rest of eternity. However, for right now, he was done toying with her. He longed to be inside of her. It had been too long and he vowed never to be apart from her for that long ever again. He allowed her to reach down and unbuckle his belt and undo his jeans. She looked up at him, asking his permission to continue as she nibbled on her lower lip. He nodded at her in silent approval before returning his mouth to hers. She slipped her hand into his black silky boxers and found his head dripping with his own wetness. Just like him, she enjoyed knowing his arousal was all for her. She rubbed her thumb over his slit and he groaned into her mouth. She slowly moved her hand down his shaft and gripped around the base. He let her pump him up and down for about a minute before pulling her hand off and vamp speeding his jeans off and tossing them out of the tent.

He settled comfortably between her thighs and kissed her mouth as his head teased at her folds. When she made a small whine, he pulled away from their kiss and gazed down at her. He looked into her eyes, his blue gaze matching hers, and entered her slowly. She let out a short gasp as she adjusted to his size. Klaus wasn't in any hurry and took his time moving in and out of her. She wrapped her legs tighter around him and he let her, leaning back down to kiss her. As he got closer to his own edge, his kiss deepened. Caroline was right there with him, the burning in her core approaching another explosion.

The hybrid's strokes deepened and became harder as he increased the speed. Caroline dug her nails so deeply down his back that he shuddered, moving even faster. She began letting out tiny moans into his mouth with every thrust. Klaus dominated their kiss, twisting and turning their tongues together frantically. He pulled apart and rested his forehead against hers when he came up for air. Caroline looked at him pleadingly. "Klaus… I'm so close. Can I...?"

He was barely hanging on himself, but he had no intention of finishing before she did, so he was grateful that she was ready. He moved a hand down between their bodies and circled his thumb around her clit. He nodded his head frantically and looked into her eyes. He managed to growl out, "Come. Now." And she did as he crashed his mouth onto hers. He felt her walls convulsing all around him and he thrust hard, deep and fast a few more times and he was gone. He spilled his seed deep within her, twitching and shaking himself. He moved in and out slowly as they both rode out their highs. Once they were both completely finished, he rested his head on her shoulder while he caught his breath. Her arms fell from his shoulder and landed above her head as she, too, caught her breath.

After a few minutes, Klaus rolled onto his back, tugging Caroline so her head fell on his shoulder and her leg came to rest across his. In the absence of a pillow he reached over and pulled his duffle beneath his head, resting his hand between himself and the bag. He wrapped his other arm around Caroline and held her close. There were no words. They didn't need any – not then. It wasn't long before her heartbeat slowed and her breathing became deep and steady. Klaus looked down and saw that she was fast asleep in his arms… where she belonged. He kissed her lightly on the forehead and whispered, "Sweet dreams, love," before he himself faded off into oblivion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Klaus' eyes instinctively shot open as he felt Caroline begin to stir. She yawned and looked up at him through bleary eyes. She made a happy little purring sound and nuzzled his chest, kissing him lightly. Sitting up, she stretched her arms above her naked body while Klaus shamelessly raked his eyes over her pale form. Her eyes met his and she smiled. "Good morning, lover."

He propped himself up on his elbows as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes in a way he found entirely adorable. "Good morning, sweetheart. You're in a good mood this morning."

She giggled before leaning down to kiss him. "Hmmm... I wonder why that is?" she joked. "I guess my night was ok," she teased.

He pulled back and smirked at her, raising an eyebrow. Running a hand through her thoroughly disheveled curls, he said, "You guess it was ok, hmmm?" He forcefully pulled her head to his and kissed her senseless until she was panting into his mouth. He pulled her head back with his hand still wound in her hair and looked at her mischievously.

Caroline laughed out loud. "Ok, ok, ok. I admit it. My night was mind blowing," she smiled, kissing him again.

Klaus kissed her roughly before responding playfully, "Behave yourself and you might have another one."

She giggled and her cheeks took on a rosy hue. "Oh, is that how it is?" Klaus hummed at her and his dimples deepened with his smile. Caroline kissed him again, throwing her torso on top of him and winding her fingers into his hair.

For a moment Klaus indulged her before firmly slapping her bottom, electing a small and surprised yelp from the pretty blonde. "Alright, none of that. It's past dawn and we've a long day. Best have at it." He lifted her off of him, exiting the tent completely nude. He extended his hand to her and looked at her curiously when she didn't take it. "Something wrong?"

She looked at him like he was very slow. "Ummmm, I'm kinda naked in here." Not seeing her point, he gave her the same look she gave him. She continued, "I'm not running around the Amazon naked for everyone to see. This," she gestured to her body, "is for your eyes only, mister." She huffed, annoyed, while he looked at her amusedly. Rolling her eyes, she told him, "Just bring my pack over so I can get dressed in here. Please." Klaus did as she asked, although he made a mental note to tease her about her ridiculous modesty later. For now, they needed to get moving.

A few minutes later and they were back on the trail. Now that they had rested, Caroline once again found herself fascinated by her surroundings. She was paying so little attention that Klaus had to block her path with his arm when Otorongo had clearly stopped. He spoke to the couple in his deep voice. "This is as far as I go. The enter to the cavern is about a hundred meters that way," he said pointing in the general direction of their goal. "You will find your prophecy on wall. I wish you much luck," the witch added politely with a small bow of his head.

Klaus' eyes darkened and glinted dangerously as his posture stiffened. "Prophecy? Nobody said anything about a prophecy." He turned accusingly to Caroline.

Caroline looked at him not quite understanding his outburst. "I told you I heard about carvings of twins, then you found this guy, and now here we are."

Klaus threw up his hands in frustration. "You said it was a lead! I would never have come here to find a damn prophecy! I hate bloody prophecies! No good ever came from a prophecy!" Otorongo clearly didn't understand what Caroline did in that moment, her face falling, so Klaus spun on him. "You! You should have told me this was about a prophecy, witch!"

Caroline pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a long suffering sigh as Klaus continued to rant. Otorongo held up his hands and stepped back from the furious hybrid, although he wasn't intimidated in the least. "You stop now, hybrid, before I make you regret. You ask to come here and I bring you here. That was our deal. What is problem you have with prophecy?"

Klaus made a deep growling sound and took deep breaths to calm himself, doing his best not to rip the man's spine out through his mouth in front of Caroline. After a couple of minutes the blonde vampire crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot, annoyed. She wasn't unsympathetic, but she really didn't feel like dealing with his temper tantrum when she was so close to gaining information about her children, nor did she care what word described said information. "Seriously, Klaus? Do we have to do this now?"

Eventually Klaus turned to the man and said, "I don't like prophecies very much, mate." Otorongo gave him a confused look, so Klaus continued. "The last time a witch told me a prophecy I spent five years trapped in a dungeon."

Caroline huffed, irritated that he was still talking about semantics and not moving already! "Look Klaus, we can talk about your kinks later, but for right now move your ass!" Klaus' opened and closed his mouth like a fish on dry land. Caroline made a shoo-ing motion with her hands to push him along, bossy as ever. "There's information about my children in there! Let's go." Narrowing his eyes at her, Klaus started walking towards the cavern. If anyone else spoke to him like that, they would be leaving without a tongue. He would have to remind her later who was in charge.

After a few minutes, Klaus made a small, amused scoff. Caroline looked at him. "What?" He shrugged dismissively. They kept walking until she looked over and saw his smirk. "No, seriously, you have to tell me what's funny and you have to tell me right now."

Klaus flashed her his dimples as they approached the entrance to the cavern they had been seeking. "Oh it's nothing, love. I'm just very much looking forward to your promised discussion of my kinks." He winked at her when she glared at him before rolling her eyes. Klaus set down his bag, removing from it a large flashlight. Caroline did the same and they began to walk. "Technology really is astounding. You've no idea how annoying it is to try exploring with nothing but a lantern carrying a single flame in the dark. Even hybrid sight only goes so far."

Klaus walked slightly ahead of Caroline, one hand holding hers and the other looking around with the flashlight while she held hers directly in front of their feet. The cavern was somewhat cramped and had stalactites and stalagmites in increasing frequency the further underground they travelled. Fortunately it wasn't terribly long before Klaus stopped them. Caroline had no idea what he was seeing so he pointed at the wall a few feet to the left of their path. The ground was all sharp points, preventing them from getting any closer. Klaus took Caroline's flashlight and pointed it at the wall near his own beam. Klaus nodded with his head for Caroline to look at the wall.

Caroline had to squint to see it because it was so faded from the years, but she definitely saw what he saw. There were carvings along the wall… a lot of carvings. They went on forever. There were words in a language she had never seen and pictures of people and various symbols. Each set of words and symbols clearly formed its own little story. She supposed those were the prophecies. "Oh my God, Klaus. There are so many of them! How are we ever going to narrow this down?"

Klaus considered her for a moment before giving her the obvious answer. "We're going to have to read each of them and pick out the ones that apply."

Caroline put her hands on her hips. "Oh yeah? And how do you propose we do that? There are like a billion prophecies! And what even is that language? I'm pretty sure none of those letters go together."

Klaus couldn't help but smile at her indignation. He found her beautiful even when she was ridiculous. "It's called Aymaran, love. Ancient Aymaran, but that's what it is."

Caroline scoffed. "Ok, so it's ancient Aymaran. That is SO helpful to know! I've never even heard of it, and you told me you've never been to this part of Peru, so there's no way you speak ancient Aymaryan. We're just going to have to write it all down and find someone who does."

Klaus looked at her, offended. "I'll have you know I absolutely do speak ancient Aymaran… However languages do change, love, and these carvings are even older than I am. Now silence your pretty little mouth and give me a moment to translate some of these. And do be a good girl and start looking for pictures that may fit," Klaus ordered her as he held his flashlight up to the wall on the cavern.

He squinted his eyes as he tried to make out the ancient letters. Caroline was right that there were many of them, although definitely not a billion. Caroline pulled out her camera and began taking pictures of each set of stories. They pointed out many potentials to each other, but ultimately decided to move on from each one.

Finally, something caught Klaus' eye. He turned his head to the side, curious about what he found there. He beckoned Caroline over to take a look. The whole thing was very faded and marred by the centuries. It was hard to make out anything for sure, but eventually it started to make sense. There were two figures that could have been women standing together. There was a line beneath them and another figure, this one less defined but probably also a woman, laying down sideways below the line. To the right of the figures was a jagged vertical line that could have been a lightning bolt. The same image of the figures were to the right of the lightning as well, however these were the least clear of all. Beneath all of it were words in the language Caroline couldn't read. After staring for a while and trying to figure out the story's meaning, she asked Klaus to translate and he responded with a distracted hum, clearly deep in thought. Eventually, the young blonde began to tap her foot impatiently.

Though still baffled, Klaus spoke. "I believe it says, "One will live and one will die, while that one's death will bring one life."

Caroline shook her head and looked at him incredulously before asking, "What? Are you sure you got that right? That literally makes no sense."

Klaus took a moment to look over the carvings again, taking his time to translate word for word. "Well, I agree that it's strange, but yes, I'm sure that's what it says."

"'One will live and one will die, while that one's death will bring one life,'" Caroline scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest petulantly. "Seriously?! I think these Aymaran witches prophesized Harry Potter. 'Neither can live while the other survives.' That is so already taken!"

Klaus frowned at her outburst, surprised by her negativity. "I realize it's strange, sweetheart, but prophecies often are. Many times they don't make sense until they've already come to pass. I told you I bloody hate prophecies."

Caroline threw her arms up and blew all the air out of her lungs in a huff. "It means absolutely nothing, Klaus! We already know about The Merge. This wall literally says exactly what we know: one has to die in order to merge with the other. And those pictures aren't any help! Two live girls on top of one obviously dead girl. Two live. One dies. Yeah. Got that, thanks. Add in the lightning bolt that clearly represents the split of The Merge, just like on Harry's freakin' forehead! We wasted an entire trip to find NOTHING but some J.K. Rowling wannabes!"

At this Klaus smirked and couldn't resist teasing her. "Caroline, I'm quite certain Harry Potter came long after these very ancient carvings. If anything that nonsense itself is plagiarized."

"Oh you did NOT just call Harry Potter 'nonsense!'" Caroline shouted, offended at the attack on such a huge part of her childhood… even if it turned out to be nothing like real witchcraft. Although she did run a school for supernaturals, so she supposed there was that similarity. Klaus had absolutely no response and just laughed at her for a brief moment before seeing her genuine annoyance and composing himself as best he could. She delighted him. "Oh, sure, laugh. You're just grumpy because you're so totally Voldemort."

Now Klaus scoffed, although he was only mocking her genuine annoyance. "I most certainly am not. If anything I'm Professor Snape: a man with a dark past who, in the end, wasn't as bad as he seemed. I have layers, you know. I'm not pure evil and I definitely never tried to eradicate anyone with mixed blood."

Caroline's eyes widened. "You know Harry Potter? Seriously? If you know the end of the series where Snape redeems himself, then you read all seven books… and you claim it was "'nonsense?'" She made air quotes with her fingers on the last word. "Reading one book would be enough to call it nonsense. You liked it! Klaus Mikaelson is a closeted Harry Potter fan! Oh. My. God!" Caroline laughed as Klaus stared daggers at her.

"Caroline, for a thousand years my family and I have kept up with politics, fashion, languages, technology, research and yes, popular culture. Without modern knowledge, it's impossible to blend in," Klaus told her, turning his light to the ground in front of them. He took her hand and began slowly leading them out of the cavern.

With mirth in her eyes, Caroline giggled "Okay, Klaus, if that's your story." She could practically hear him roll his eyes as he shook his head. It was certainly no easy task to embarrass a thousand year old Mikaelson, but she accomplished it in the middle of a dark cavern buried deep in the rainforest. They walked along the rocky ground, avoiding the stalagmites on the ground and ducking down on occasion to miss the stalactites jutting down from the stone above. While she was frustrated by their lack of progress, she was finally here, in person, with Klaus.

Life was good.

* * *

Mystic Falls – 2027

Caroline and Hope sat in the headmistress's office, the desk piled high with grimoires from all over the world. Freya was busy starting a family with Vince and Keelin and had never been happier. With the vampires gone, New Orleans had reached a supernatural peace even better than the years before. Witch and werewolf business was finally set aside. When Hope wanted to take a large portion of the family's magical library, nobody really seemed to mind.

Freya suspected that Hope wanted to find some ancient spell to bring back her parents, but knowing that was impossible, the older witch decided to let her niece look. One thing Freya had learned about her once lost family was that each of them had to find answers on their own and in their own time. She hoped that while the books would never bring a miracle, maybe they would help the tribrid someday find her own sense of peace.

Caroline set down her book gently and looked to the younger girl. When Hope realized Caroline was staring, she looked up at her and gave the older woman a questioning look. Caroline sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly, considering her words. "How long did you know?"

Hope's eyebrow raised a bit and she scoffed. "What? About you and my dad?" Caroline nodded. "Ummm, only since the day I got here? You'd barely told me your name before you said you knew him and you practically grilled me all about our lives my first week here. Not to mention every time I asked you to tell me about him, you basically started glowing. And you're literally the only person in Mystic Falls, besides me, who doesn't refer to him as 'The Great Evil.'"

Caroline let out a small "Hmph," and shook her head. "You are just like him, you know. Too smart for your own good."

Hope looked at her with a bored expression, having heard this so many times. "I was seven, not stupid." At that Caroline laughed outright before returning to her research. They had been looking through grimoires for slightly over a year and had found very little. It didn't help that Caroline was frequently traveling the world, although each time she came home she brought new reading material.

Without Klaus, she had to follow up every lead about The Merge by herself, all the while trying to find any possible way to bring back the love of her life. Her best lead was still the urn from Cairo. It was frustrating and painful, but both women were determined to succeed. Although as far as Hope knew, they were searching only for a way to bring back her father. It was a burden the twin's parents had to bear alone. Besides, there was still plenty of time. Lizzie and Josie were a few months shy of sixteen and The Merge wouldn't happen until they were twenty two.

No one knew about The Merge except for Caroline and Alaric, save their few friends who had long since left the supernatural world behind. Bonnie Bennet still held an immense amount of power, but had had no reason to use it in a very long time. After Enzo's final death, Bonnie and Jeremy Gilbert managed to find their way back to each other. Jeremy occasionally did favors for Alaric, but mostly they raised their two twin four year olds, the newest Bennet witches. Damon and Elena Salvatore also had a daughter, Stefanie, and a son, Jonah.

Caroline often found herself wishing she still lived in the same world as her childhood friends. The reality was that she didn't anymore, and she never would again. They stayed in touch, but Elena, Bonnie, and especially Matt Donovan, wanted normal, human lives. Caroline would never have that luxury. She was immortal and had no interest in the cure. She often wished there was some way to share with them her relationship with Klaus, but she would never be able to. They knew him as the enemy and they would only ever see him that way, as would anyone who read Alaric's books… which was everyone in the school.

So Caroline had Hope, and together they worked to find a way to bring Klaus back to the land of the living. Hope looked up again from her research and stared at Caroline in contemplation. This time Caroline looked up. Hope took a deep breath before asking the one question that had been haunting her. "Do you think my dad wants to come back?"

Caroline was surprised that this was even a consideration. "What? Of course he wants to come back. He never wanted to die in the first place. He wants to be here to watch over you and protect you… and me… and my girls. We were all supposed to be a family. Given a very strange and partly dead family, but still. That's the way we wanted it, the way it was meant to be… eventually… after we figured out how to-" Caroline suddenly stopped, realizing how close she came to mentioning her dark secret. She laughed to cover up her small gasp. "Sorry, Hope. I'm doing that thing where I ramble, aren't I?" Hope just gave her an amused expression. Sometimes she looked so similar to her father that it almost hurt Caroline to look at her. Looking away, she asked, "What makes you think he wouldn't want to?"

More than a year ago, Hope had confessed to her Uncle Elijah what her mother told her when they met while Hope's heart was temporarily stopped. Elijah had died and Hope tried to let that memory die with him. If she gave into the memories, she was faced with the question of her father's wishes. What if he had finally found Peace and she ripped him away from that for her own selfish reasons? How would she be able to live with herself?

Making a decision she knew was coming, Hope took a chance. "When The Hollow was inside of me, I kind of… died." Caroline gasped, but Hope quickly went on before Caroline could interrupt. "It was only for a minute and then I was back. I heard my dad calling me and came back. But while I was there, I saw my mom." Hope gulped and felt the stinging in her eyes as tears started to form. She took a deep breath before continuing. "She told me that she wasn't dead because of me, but that she was at Peace because of me. All the people she lost were there with her and she seemed so… relieved. I asked if I'd ever see her again and she said I would… but not for a very long time."

Caroline reached across the desk and took Hope's hand in her own as matching tears slowly fell down their cheeks. "At first I thought it was just a hallucination from brain chemicals or something, but my mom gave me a message for my Uncle Elijah. When I gave it to him, I knew it was real. His reaction to it was real." Hope had to stop to sniffle her nose. Caroline handed her a tissue, taking one for herself as well. "Umm, so, I know that Peace is somewhere out there waiting for us… for when it's time. And I can't stop thinking that maybe my Dad found Peace, too. Maybe he's with his own lost loved ones and is finally happy. And if he is… how can I tear him away from that?"

The women sat in silence for what felt like a very long time, each lost in thought. This had never once occurred to Caroline, but now that it had, she immediately knew the conflict the tribrid felt. She had spent an excessive amount of her thirty-something years stuck in her head with thoughts that wouldn't go away. This was one of those thoughts that would nag at her over and over and over. It was heartbreaking.

Seeing the haunted expression on Caroline's face, Hope tried to smile and laugh it off. "You know, maybe it WAS just a hallucination. I mean, nobody knows for sure what happens when we die, right? We learned in history that that's how most religions came to be. People wanted answers to questions that have no answer. I'm sure you're right and he wants to come back from wherever he is. Forget I said anything."

"No, you were right to ask. I have known many people who have died and gone on, some of them multiple times. That's why I'm so sure he's out there somewhere. I just know it in my bones that somewhere out there is a way to bring him back to me. Umm, I mean, to us. To both of us. And the rest of your family. But, yeah, maybe he doesn't want to come back." Caroline let go of Hope's hand and ran her fingers through her hair before resting her elbows on the table. She buried her face in her hands in a very poor attempt to cover the tears running freely down her face, dragging her mascara with them.

Hope got up and went to sit on the hearth. She lit the fire with a quiet, "Incendia." It was autumn and not really cold enough for a fire, but she found the soft crackling sound of the logs soothing. She stared into the flames as though praying the answer would somehow be written in the smoke billowing up the chimney. She curled her knees up and rested her head on them, turning to look at Caroline.

Caroline rested her cheek on her hand and looked at Hope, shrugging. "What are we supposed to do with that question?" she asked quietly when Hope had no response. "God, I have wished so many times that he was here so I could talk to him. Have him give me some magic answer so I know what to do, because sometimes I really don't know what he would say."

Hope suddenly sat up, setting her feet on the ground and looking at Caroline intently. "You know, maybe there IS a way we can ask him what to do."

Caroline dropped her gaze and looked at Hope almost pityingly. "Yeah… if only they had iPhones that could call the dead. Nice try, kiddo, but I'm pretty sure "roaming" doesn't actually cover the afterlife."

Hope gazed at Caroline with a look that screamed, "Seriously?!" When she got no further comment, she realized she was going to have to spell it out for the older woman. "Honestly you are so blonde sometimes." Caroline's mouth opened, offended. Before she could start ranting about fighting stereotypes, Hope kept talking. "How many people do you know who have died, talked to people, and come back?" Caroline had to stop and think. "I'm a New Orleans witch. Talking to dead people is like half our lives. We basically DO have the afterlife on speed dial. I literally just told you that I died and talked to my mom—"

Here Caroline did cut Hope off. "Woah woah woah. You are NOT seriously suggesting that you intentionally die in the hopes that you might come back to life? I hate to break it to you, but you can't exactly guarantee your own magic is gonna work from over there."

"Caroline," Hope began, "we are in a building FULL of witches. Your daughters are witches—"

"Siphoner witches, actually," she corrected.

"Whatever. They can do magic. They took The Hollow out of me and put it in my dad, which, by the way, caused this whole mess in the first place," Hope pointed out, clearly still holding onto her anger about her father's plan to die behind her back.

Caroline stood, hands on hips. "Your father came here and begged me to let my girls do that spell so he could save YOUR life, young lady—"

Hope held up her hands in a calming gesture. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blame them. I just meant that there are plenty of people here that could help us out, and not just your girls. Ms. Tig is crazy powerful and obviously knowledgeable if she's been teaching me."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Ok, practicing humility today? I don't think Emma needs to know that we're trying to bring back Klaus Mikaelson. She's read Alaric's books. He's the one who started calling him 'The Great Evil.' And she's totally in his pocket. She'd tell him in a heartbeat and I really don't feel like getting into this with him. This is OUR task: yours and mine. Nobody here is getting involved in a spell you have no business even thinking about casting. If I let something happen to you, I'd be AFRAID to bring your dad back because he would kill everyone involved and anyone they've ever met… hopefully except for me. It's a bad plan and we are not doing it."

Hope sat there nodding her head while Caroline finished ranting. "Ok, so I'm willing to admit that is a good point. Nobody here can do the spell."

Caroline let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. The thought of losing Hope terrified her every day. "Good. I'm glad you see reason."

Getting up, Hope held her hands in front of her, wringing them together as she walked to the door. "So obviously Mystic Falls isn't going to be an option, but there are plenty of other witches."

Caroline's blue eyes practically bugged out of her head. "Hope Andrea Mikaelson! Seriously? Did you hear a word I just said?" Hope didn't even acknowledge the blonde's near shouting. She began to walk to the door when Caroline stepped in front of her, hands on hips. "And where exactly do you think you're going? You are NOT about to just walk away from me right now."

Hope gently pushed past her and reached for the door knob before addressing her headmistress. "What do you mean where am I going? Pay attention, Care. I'm going to pack a bag. Obviously."

Caroline waved her hands in front of her chest. "No, you are not packing a bag! I am the head of this school and you do not have permission to go anywhere, and especially not by yourself. Your family still has enemies out there and you know that. It isn't even a little bit safe."

Hope looked at the vampire as though she were very slow. "That's why you need to go pack, too. Bring enough for a couple of days at least. Oh, and dress light. It's probably still pretty humid down there."

Hope walked past Caroline and opened the door when Caroline stopped her with a hand on her arm. "What are you even talking about right now? Down where? Where exactly is it that you've unilaterally decided we're going?"

Hope threw her departing words over her shoulder, tossing her read hair aside as she began confidently walking to her room to pack. "New Orleans."

Caroline's jaw dropped as her heavy office door swung closed.


	3. Speak My Name

A/N Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the follows and reviews! I love hearing what you have to say, so please feel free to comment! I have no idea where to send them on their adventures together, so if you have any global ideas, I'm all ears! This is a little more filler than I wanted, but I'm still establishing a lot of how they got to where they are since I picked up after Seasons 8 and 4 of TVD/TO.

Let me know what you think! Pretty please!

* * *

Chapter Two - Speak My Name

2021 – Northern Italy

Klaus Mikaelson hated flying. He really did. No matter how many thousands of flights he'd been on since the advent of airplanes, he would always prefer travelling by horseback. There was something unique about horses that his relationships with humans, and others, lacked. Horses were trustworthy. Obedient. He could train them to his specifications and they would do as he said every time. And if they didn't, he could correct them without hearing anyone whine about human rights. Horses loved him when he commanded them. People were harder, Caroline Forbes especially. God how he wished he could control her all the time.

Klaus sighed as he looked out over Europe from his private jet. One of the best parts of Mikael's death, deaths, was that he didn't have to hide anymore. If he wanted a jet with his family "M" on the side, he could have it. Contrary to what so many had accused him of, he did not actually compel himself everything. He and his family were richer than sin after having a thousand years to amass their wealth. Most of the time, he and siblings simply pulled black credit cards out of their wallets and humans didn't ask too many questions. Compulsion left a lot of room for questions. Legitimate purchases, and sometimes outright bribery, didn't.

Caroline Forbes absolutely did not give a damn about Klaus' money. Sure, she was mesmerized by the fancy hotels and restaurants he had taken her to, but she would been just as happy at a Howard Johnson's with a noisy ice machine. Her happiness was about being with him, not his money. He had sworn to be her last love, but most of the time he hadn't thought it was going to happen... until it did. The money he sent for her school was nothing to him, but he now considered it the most well spent of his long life. It led to a phone call, which led to another, and another, and texts, and emails and FaceTime.. Then there was their time in the Amazon.

Klaus' smirk emerged when he thought about that night in the tent... and the next in that same tent... and the week in Peru. He took her to all the best spots in Lima, Arequipa and Mancora. She dragged him around by day, insisting they see all the traditional touristy sights. By night, he dazzled her with nightclubs and fine dining. Caroline liked to dance... a lot. Klaus was happy to oblige, especially with Latin beats thrumming through their veins. To her delight and surprise, the Waltz wasn't the only way he knew how to move. He seduced her on the dance floor until she was practically begging to go back to their suite... and then he'd make her really beg. Oh yes, he controlled her in at least one way.

Klaus' sexual control over her was his favorite type of control and arguably, to him at least, the most important. Klaus Mikaelson didn't do submission. For the most part, she could boss him around all over the globe and he couldn't care less, as long as he was in charge when they were alone. He'd taken her shopping several times and he saw the pitying glances from other men, especially in South America. It amused him because if they only knew what she looked like pleading with him at her most vulnerable... He loved it, and he loved that she loved it. His blood pressure spiked when he thought about the special gifts tucked away in his suitcase that he bought just for her.

Those gifts kept him from groaning as he thought miserably about how much he wished he could have ordered her to stay home. He couldn't order her to do anything. He'd had plenty of little pets and minions who followed his every command and, for some reason, seemed to worship him. Some were romantic or sexual, some weren't. Plenty of his minions had been men so that dynamic was obviously missing, but they still adored him. They bored him. Sure, he protected them and often showered them with meaningless riches, or gifted them estates so they would stop following him around and he thought they might be useful later. If they really annoyed him, he'd kill them if he was in a mood. If he was feeling generous, he'd simply compel them to forget.

Caroline could never be ordered or compelled. He knew she had been compelled, and he had a strong suspicion by whom, but she never directly named her abuser, knowing it would mean his very slow and painful death. Caroline didn't have any of his mean streak. She was all light, even though she had committed her fair share of horrors, and would again. She was HIS light. However, that did not stop him from occasionally wishing she would, for once, do as he said just because he said it. No, she always needed an explanation, and even then, she wouldn't just submit. She was every bit as hard headed as he was sometimes, and this was one of those times.

Caroline did most of the research on The Merge and Klaus did most of the leg work. This was only the second time she would be joining him. They both knew it had more to do with wanting to see Klaus than tag along, but she needed an excuse for herself to justify leaving Mystic Falls. He told her many times that he could come and visit if she would drive far enough from Mystic Falls to keep Hope safe. She always insisted she couldn't leave the school just because she wanted to. No, she was very clear that she was coming along to help in their quest. He knew it was a lie, but went along with it. He wanted to see her just as much, probably more, but he didn't want it to be like this.

He had absolutely no faith that anything would come of this expedition. The translation of the grimoire leading to this location was spotty at best. He had tracked down half a dozen leads in the last two years, when he wasn't killing his way through his revenge list. Caroline thought the trip to the Amazon was a waste, but Klaus wasn't so sure. He hated prophecies more than anything, but deep down he felt like that message meant something. The only bad information was no information, and that was what he just knew was waiting for them: nothing. He had told her this, several times, but she was ever the optimist. That would be the worst part: the sad look of defeat in her eyes when she figured it out for herself.

Then again, maybe she was right. Maybe there would be something there, some clue to saving her children from the inevitable. Maybe her eternal optimism would pay off.

Maybe not.

The plane began its descent into the airport in Turin, Italy. They would stay the night and then drive into the Alps, the Mont Blanc massif, to be specific, the next day. Half a day's hike would lead them to the sight of a massacre of siphoner witches in the 16th century. Caroline found through her research that siphoner witches were not as uncommon as they seemed once upon a time. While they weren't an everyday occurrence, they certainly weren't considered evil or heretical until a coven of them sought to eradicate their entire lines in a failed attempt to permanently acquire their power to use as their own. In short, they tried, they failed, they died and their death marked the earth for all time. Caroline was convinced if she could find the spot, the spirits of the dead would be able to help her, or at least point her in the right direction. Klaus had tried to tell her otherwise, but she refused to be swayed.

Running a school for the supernatural had its benefits. Emma, a resident witch professor, was full of fun little gadgets that any supernatural creature could use. It was well known at the school that Caroline and Alaric had special projects they didn't talk about. It wasn't uncommon for them to seek assistance from one of their employees without providing much of, if any, explanation. Caroline told Emma she needed to be able to talk to dead witches. Without a word, Emma returned with a small green sphere. Klaus didn't know too much about it, but he had no doubt Caroline would be more than forthcoming once they were together. The only person who liked the sound of her own voice more than she did was Klaus.

Klaus checked the time as he stepped off his jet. He had half an hour before Caroline's plane landed. He went about the tedious process of renting an SUV, debating who he should grab for dinner. He watched a distracted businessman head to the garage and followed after him. Klaus watched the dazed traveler walk into the elevator as the doors closed, leaving him alone on the top of the parking garage.

The hybrid tossed his bags into the backseat and went to wipe a drop of dinner off his chin when suddenly he was thrown up against the cement wall, his mouth under attack. He barely had time to process the assault before Caroline pulled back, laughing as she licked the drop of blood off her own lip seductively. "Mmm B positive. My favorite," she giggled.

Klaus' growled deep in his throat as his eyes glowed yellow and the veins under his eyes blackened. Years ago, seeing Klaus' hybrid side would have terrified her, but now it made her blood pump in an entirely different way. Her own blue eyes darkened at the pure lust she saw in his. She threw herself on top of him, legs wrapping around his waist as she furiously tugged at his lower lip with her teeth, narrowly missing him with her fangs.

Klaus' growl was feral as he vamp sped them around, slamming her hard against a cement column with her back to him. He ground into her while he attacked her neck and shoulders, pulling her red scarf to the side. She was wearing a soft leather traveling coat over a white blouse and jeans over black boots. Klaus effortlessly ripped off her coat before tearing off her blouse and bra like tissue paper, eliciting a small whine from the blonde vampire. "Klaus! I liked that jacket!"

Klaus bit down on her shoulder hard enough to draw blood, making her gasp. "Speak when you're spoken to, sweetheart." The dominant edge in his tone silenced her immediately and she felt her body slacken, giving herself over to him completely. She trusted him. He pulled off her cashmere scarf and bound her wrists behind her back, setting to work on her boots and jeans. He had her naked in seconds, her nipples scratching against the cold cement as they tightened into sharp peaks. Klaus had missed her. They had two weeks together and he had many, many plans in store for her, but right now he wanted her fast and dirty.

The hybrid ran his hands all over her body while he had her pinned to the column, absolutely not caring if anyone came up the elevator. She was his, and if he wanted to take her on top of a parking garage in Italy, damnit he was going to. And she loved every second of it. He could smell the arousal pooling between her legs and it made him impossibly harder. He reached one hand around and put it between her lower belly and the cement. She was soaked. He wasted no time circling her clit with his index finger, making her cry out.

Caroline shivered in his arms, helpless under his sensual assault. He reached his other hand around to massage her breasts, squeezing her nipples hard as he continued to bite and suck her neck. She made little mewling sounds and he knew she was biting her lower lip to keep from crying out, for fear of his hand stopping. He smirked into her shoulder, loving how she was learning. He rewarded her by pushing a finger into her wet center, quickly adding a second. She needed to come and they both knew it. Her body was shaking with the effort of maintaining control. Klaus commanded, "Go ahead, love, beg me for it."

She wasted no time following his order, knowing how he always made it worth the wait. "Oh God, Klaus, please. Please let me come. Please... please please please... Klaus... please..." She panted with every word, her rhythm matching his thrusts while his thumb circled her clit. He sped up his fingers while twisting her nipple so hard that she screamed out loud to keep from falling apart.

Deciding he'd tortured her enough, for now, he growled out, "Come for me, little one. Come for me." Caroline did. Her wrists strained against her scarf as her whole body trembled and the thing ripped at the seams as she finished, freeing her. Klaus quickly moved his hand from her breast to her wrists, teasingly adding, "Now now, none of that." He bit her neck in just the right spot and she screamed again, her second climax tumbling on top of the first as he viciously pumped his fingers in and out of her. He slowed his pace as she erratically jerked her hips, coming down from her high.

Caroline took several deep, shuddering breaths before gently resting her head back against Klaus' shoulder, smiling up at him. She pecked him lightly on the lips, her hands still held in his between them. He smiled down at his prey, tenderly tucking a stray curl behind her ear with his soaked hand. "Hello, love," he said, returning her kiss. She hummed happily at him, melting into his embrace. He peppered soft kisses all over her face while her breathing returned to normal, his gentle touch a delicious dichotomy to his previous ministrations. "I missed you," he said in between kisses. "Did you miss me, hmm?"

The blonde nodded her head, coyly adding, "Yes, Sir."

Klaus' eyes immediately glowed and he attacked her mouth with his, spinning her around to face him. She almost never called him that, even in bed, but she knew exactly what it did to him when she did. He hiked her legs around his waist and pinned her hands high above her head, using his free hand to knead and caress her breasts. "Good girl," he growled out, the words barely sensible in his frenzy. He quickly undid his belt buckle and unzipped his fly, freeing his erection. He pulled back from their kiss to look in her eyes as he thrust into her. She threw her head back against the cement column, crying out his name.

Her voice, combined with her wet warmth, was almost his undoing. He wound his hand around her ass, pulling her impossibly closer to him as he took her passionately. "Scream for me, Caroline, scream my name," he gasped out as he approached the edge. Close as she was, the words flew out of her effortlessly as she chanted his name over and over, that single word the only thought left in her head. He pounded into her at a punishing rhythm, pulling them closer and closer to thier inevitable explosion. Once she started pleading and begging him, he released her arms, letting them fall around his neck.

Klaus pulled back to look at her, full hybrid features visible, and bit into his wrist, shoving it violently in front of her mouth, silently commanding her to feed. Her veins darkened as she drank, her whole body shaking. "Come," he ordered her as he thrust deep and hard against her walls. As she clenched around him, she screamed around his wrist. He sunk his teeth into her neck and her blood was his undoing. He lost himself in her so deeply that he never wanted to be found. That's how it was with Caroline: consuming.

Klaus tucked himself back into his jeans and fastened his belt. He rested his head against her forehead as their chests heaved in time with their fiercely beating hearts. Caroline was the first to come out of their mutual trance. He opened his eyes to look into hers as he felt her shift. She met his eyes and let out a giggle. "Wow," she laughed, hugging him to her as she nestled her head on his shoulder.

The hybrid nodded, letting out an airy, "Uh-huh," as he, too, smiled, wrapping her in his arms. He loved her. A lot. He had, and had known it, for a long time. He was almost certain the feeling was mutual, but he was still waiting for the perfect time to say it. Somehow, he didn't think a grimy parking garage was the best place for it. Instead, he pulled back and kissed her on the forehead gently, pushing another wayward curl behind her ear. The words were in his eyes, and for now that was enough.

* * *

2027 – New Orleans, LA

Caroline Forbes hated New Orleans. Seriously. Yet she found herself in her black Range Rover, driving down I-20 headed to the city she hated with a redheaded tribrid riding shotgun. The Range Rover mysteriously appeared in front of the Salvatore School a little over a year prior. Go figure. The radio was playing some pop song in the background, but the music definitely didn't match the mood in the SUV. Hope and Caroline had been in the car for hours and had barely spoken a word.

Caroline was, of course, the first to crack. Keeping silent was not in her bag of virtues. Rambling senselessly, yes. Silence, no. Turning down the radio, she addressed the younger girl. "Why did I agree to go along with this again? I seriously need you to remind me so I can remember to never do that again. This is the worst plan ever!"

Hope rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Pretty sure my dad won the award for 'worst plan ever,'" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Caroline narrowed her eyes and glared. "Alright, fine. I will give you that. Maybe this isn't the worst plan ever, but it's a sucky plan. I mean why the hell would literally ANYBODY in New Orleans want to help bring Klaus Mikaelson BACK from the dead? I know you were young, but for five years there was an actual 'Celebrate the fall of the Mikaelsons' party."

Hope glared at Caroline with so much detestation that the blonde could have sworn the temperature in the SUV actually dropped. Sometimes she really shouldn't say words. "I'd think you of all people would remember that every last person at that bullcrap 'trial' spent seven years either running from my dad, or watching him slaughter every person they'd ever met."

Caroline did remember. God, did she remember. She remembered that day in France when she figured out what he had been up to all those years. She had found him mid-slaughter, the building drenched in blood. She knew he had enemies and was willing to do whatever it took to protect Elijah… but she didn't know about all the families. The women. The children. The aunts and uncles and cousins. The friends. The neighbors. He killed them all, along with anyone else who got in his way.

Caroline had been furious when she found out. He would kill entire families and then get on a plane to make love to her. She got the call from Rebekah to track him down because Hope sired a hybrid just to get his attention. Five years. He hadn't talked to his daughter in five years. And she hadn't known. They had seen each other dozens of times and he never said a word. But then he went back to New Orleans. And then he died. She hated that city.

The older blonde spoke so softly that Hope would have missed it had it not been for her supernatural hearing. "That's not something I'll ever forget, Hope. I'm not stupid and I'm not blind. I know everything that he did. For the longest time I thought he was a terrible person for killing innocents to protect one person, no matter who it was. And I literally said that right to his face." She paused to gather her thoughts. She regretted having said that to him. She had seen the hurt in his eyes. "But then the day came that someone I loved needed protecting."

Hope softly asked, "What did you do?"

"I had to choose between someone I loved and innocents, too, and I finally understood." Hope eyed her curiously, silently urging her to continue. Caroline took a deep breath before she shared one of her darkest secrets. "My friend, who I loved deeply, was going to be killed by a witch trying to "purify" her of Expression," she said, making finger quotes. "Your dad actually tried to stop me, but I ran into the circle and stabbed the knife right into the witch's gut. I didn't even think about it. I just… acted."

Hope looked at her curiously for a moment. "You killed a witch who was trying to kill your friend… but you said 'innocents,' as in plural."

Caroline sighed and ran her fingers through her messy curls. She hadn't been putting much effort into her physical appearance since Klaus died. Most of the time, her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, tendrils sticking out in random places. He still would have thought she was beautiful. "You're a smart girl, Hope. I'll give you that. You're right. I did say innocents. It wasn't just ONE witch I killed… I mean I only stabbed the one standing over her, but the rest of the coven was there. My friend was, well actually still is, crazy powerful. The only way they could have taken her down was to link themselves. So, when the one died, the other eleven died with her."

Hope was actually stunned speechless for a moment. It was well known that Caroline hated hurting anyone. She willingly drank out of a blood bag, every day, without complaint. She was the only vampire Hope had ever met who didn't drink from the vein when given the choice. And now Caroline had confessed to mass murder. Everybody had secrets, she supposed. "Wow. I guess it's good that my dad was there for you, then. I mean, murder was pretty much his expertise."

Caroline let out a dark laugh, remember Klaus' comments back that. "Actually, he was a complete dick about it. But I mean I had just called him terrible, so it was kinda fair, I guess. And besides, he came and found me the next day and we talked about it. Sort of…" Caroline trailed off at the memory. It was the first time Klaus ever held her. "It was more like I was in a little ball crying when he suddenly popped in through my window." She rolled her eyes at the memory. "Knowing him back then, he was probably standing outside my house like a total creeper." Hope laughed at that; sure it was true from the way Caroline had talked about their past before.

"Anyway, he was there... and I was sad... so I let him lay down with me for a while... a long while... maybe a really long while, ok, but whatever. I don't think he had any idea what the hell to do with a girl crying all over him… And I was CRYING. Hope. I mean it was ugly. Like, mascara face and snot all over his shirt ugly." She shuddered at the memory; glad they had never discussed that particular incident again. "He said some stuff, but the only thing I really remember was him looking into my eyes and telling me I was NOT terrible. Of course, that only made me cry harder. I thought, 'What kind of person am I that Klaus Mikaelson's opinion is making me feel better about myself?' I guess I had a bit of a breakdown because I realized he wasn't terrible either, and suddenly black and white didn't exist anymore, and that was a hard lesson for me. I think I grew up a lot that day.

"I'm not comfortable with what I did. I don't like killing, but I learned then that I will if I have to. Knowing your dad helped me come to terms with that. He taught me that things are never as simple as they seem. Who's the villain is often just a matter of perspective. We've all done terrible things, but we've all done a lot of good, too." She focused back on the road for a little while, letting herself get lost in the gentle pull of traffic. They were passing through a whole lot of nothing. "What I did, and a great deal of what your family has done, happened because I loved someone so deeply. Bonnie would have died if I hadn't, and that was what I really couldn't have lived with."

Hope's interest was piqued. "Bonnie? As in Bonnie Bennet?" Caroline nodded at her, doing her best to focus on the road. The drive was starting to drag. They would need to stop soon. "Wow. I didn't realize you guys were that close. I mean, I knew you grew up together and stuff, but when you're in town you, like, never leave the school. I've seen her at the Grill a million times, but I've never seen you with her."

Caroline reflected on that before answering. It was a sore subject, what had happened to her friends. "We were close… closer than close… back then. We don't talk much anymore," she said sadly. She didn't particularly want to get into her past life dynamics at the moment. She had enough dealing with the loss of Klaus without thinking about everyone else.

Hope either didn't take the hint or didn't care. Either way, she continued her interrogation. "Well, what happened? How can you be close enough to someone to kill twelve people and then end up barely talking?" the redhead asked, blue eyes showing her confusion. Hope had never had a lot of friends. She'd already been through so much before even coming to the school; had lost so much. It had always been hard for her to let anyone in. Caroline was the only one to whom she really felt a connection, although Alaric was always trying. She could only ever get so close to the man who literally named her father, "The Great Evil."

"It's… complicated. People change as time goes on. Everything changes. Bonnie, Elena, Jeremy, Tyler Lockwood, Matt and his sister Vicki and I grew up together. And we went through a hell of a lot before we were even old enough to drink… not that we didn't drink... a lot... but you know what I mean. And then we grew up. After Stefan died," her fingers jumped to the diamond rings hanging against her throat at the mention of her late husband, "they all kind of wanted a 'normal' life. Whatever that means."

Understanding dawning, Hope nodded her head, suddenly feeling bad for pushing the older woman. "And you can't have that." Caroline nodded at her sadly, her throat suddenly constricting. They were silent for several minutes before the tribrid spoke again. "I don't really even know what it means to be 'normal.' I mean look at us. We're on the way to the place of my family's worst defeat to track down someone to help me talk to my dead hybrid father. And with everything I've grown up with, this IS my normal. So, what do a bunch of backwoods ex-supernaturals know anyway?"

"Ummm excuse you. I happen to be from that same town, so you'd better watch out before I go all country bumpkin on your ass." Caroline looked at her completely seriously for so long that Hope wondered if she was kidding. Klaus would have been proud. She picked up some of his odd sense of humor over their travels. Eventually she gave in and lost it, falling into a fit of giggles. "Oh my God, the look on your face!"

"That's… that's not funny, Care," Hope shook her head, but she couldn't help laughing along with her friend. And they were friends. Caroline had once been sort of a mother figure after Hayley moved back to New Orleans, leaving Hope at school. Somehow over the last year they had bonded over their mutual loss in a way that only friends can. Their dynamic had changed, but for the better.

Caroline could very well have BEEN Hope's mother if things had been different, but she wasn't, and things were what they were. Hayley had been Hope's mother and Caroline had never felt the need to compete with her, although there may have been SOME temptation to rip her eyes out when she found out Klaus slept with her. Hope had had Hayley and Hayley had died to protect her. Then Klaus died, also to protect his daughter. Caroline was what she had left, and their bond was unique.

Caroline had thought her faux anger was funny, still smiling about it. Even if it was a stupid joke, it was good to laugh. They needed to laugh. When Klaus died, it was like he took Caroline's joy along with him. Oh, she could still put on her Miss Mystic smile and fool almost anyone… but not Hope. Hope had a way of looking through her the same way her father had always been able to. It often unnerved her. Having the younger girl around so much had its joys, certainly, but it also had its sorrows.

Being reminded of the love of her life was a double-edged sword. Sometimes it hurt as much as it helped. Hope was so like Klaus. For one, they definitely had the same temper. Hope had grown up surrounded by love, so she hadn't learned to hate like her father had under Mikael's lashings, but all that meant was that she could control her actions… sometimes. The raging emotions were still there. Whether that was truly because of her parent's shared werewolf genes or because she was part vampire was debatable. Plus, she was a first born Mikaelson witch. That didn't help matters. It certainly wasn't easy being a tribrid… THE tribrid… the ONLY tribrid. The loneliness that came with being "the only" was something no one but Klaus could understand.

Caroline was lonely, too. If she was at least honest with herself, if not with Hope, she hadn't drifted from her childhood friends solely because of her immortality. Klaus was a large part of it. They would never, ever accept their relationship. Would never understand why she loved him, or even believed he was capable of loving her back. He would always be "The Great Evil." She tried not to think about it too much. She held a lot of anger towards Elena for accepting Damon after all he had done, but not Klaus. He had committed terrible crimes, yes… and a lot of them… But one thing Klaus had on Damon was that Klaus had never, and would never, compel a woman to have sex with him against her will. Damon not only did, but he did it to her… something no one would ever acknowledge, but that she would never forget.

The blonde vampire knew her lover inside and out. She knew the good and the bad, and she accepted him as he was, the way he accepted her. The least she could do in his absence was take care of his only daughter. Like her father, Hope had also done terrible things. The difference was that Hope felt a remorse Klaus never would. Hope Mikaelson may have been her father's daughter, but she was the very best of him. Caroline had every intention of keeping it that way, too. She had to be there for her now that she had lost both of her parents, and she would be.

Klaus loved his artwork. He could paint for hours, sometimes days. He was prolific. Hayley explained to Hope that his art was all about control. There were so many things she couldn't control. She couldn't control it any of the times enemies had come for her. She couldn't stop her father's imprisonment. She hadn't been able to beat The Hollow… twice. And she couldn't control it when her mother and father sacrificed themselves for her. Klaus taught her how to control a paintbrush, and she was his greatest student. Her art littered the school, and the pieces she hung were always changing. Like her father, she sublimated her emotions in art

Hope carried a lot of guilt around with her. So many people had given so much for her. Her family went to war to protect her before she was even born, a birth that killed her mother. Her Aunt Rebekah took her into hiding, giving up the freedom from her brother it had taken her a millennium to obtain. Plenty of people died when her Aunt Dahlia came for her. Her father sacrificed himself for years to protect all of them. They were apart five years and she and Hayley were on the run the entire time. And then her dad came home and he called her 'princess' and taught her how to mix paints. And then he was gone… again. Everyone was gone – her Uncle Elijah "gone" most of all – all because she wasn't strong enough to fight off The Hollow.

The Hollow. Now SHE was "The Great Evil," not her father. That witch hurt so many people and for no reason. She wasn't protecting anyone. She never loved anyone. She cursed her own people to break every bone every full moon. Then, just in case that wasn't bad enough, she came back from whatever Hell she was in to try and take the body of an innocent little girl. Innocent. Hope had been innocent once. She wasn't now. She was guilty in her own mind, if not to anyone else. She enabled her mother's death just because she wanted so desperately to see her father again. Stupid. It had been a stupid plan. So had taking in all of that black magic. Losing her father the way she did was her greatest loss of all. She knew her mother was at peace and finally with her birth family. She knew Hayley was happy.

What about her dad? Could he really have found Peace after all he had done? Was her Uncle Elijah right? Had his sacrifice been his ultimate redemption? Where had that sacrifice sent him? Was he happy like her mother, or was he being tortured in some far-off realm? If he was suffering, how could she leave him there when he died to save her from her own stupidity? But if he HAD found Peace, what horrors would he endure at having been ripped away? She needed to know, no matter the cost.

At the end of the day, Hope was a Mikaelson. She loved deeply and she fought fiercely. The price she had to pay for that love would never be too high. She really didn't care how unwilling the witches were. Ideally, they would agree simply out of fear, but bribery would also work. She had inherited her father's very, very substantial fortune. Whatever they wanted she would provide. She wanted things to be peaceful, but a fight wouldn't stop her. She was stronger than all of them by far and they all knew it. If she had to burn down the entire state of Louisiana to find her answers, so be it.

Caroline interrupted Hope's reverie once she snapped out of her own deep thoughts. "You look contemplative. What's going on in there?"

Hope and Caroline shared a lot, but not everything. She probably shouldn't admit her willingness to murder. She knew Caroline would if she had to… but Hope thought perhaps they had a very different definition of "had to." Considering her words carefully, Hope replied, "I was just thinking about the best way to go about obtaining some help from the covens."

Caroline sighed. She knew Hope wasn't going to give up on New Orleans. All the reasons she wanted to avoid it were also the reasons Hope needed it to be that city. "Yeah… about that. We really should be going overseas and trying to find the one coven on the planet who HASN'T heard of your family."

Hope scoffed. "Pssht. I hope you have frequently flier miles."


	4. I Loved You Without Hesitation

Author's Note: Hey readers! Thank you so much for the reviews, favorites and follows. We have over three dozen people following this story, and to me that feels like a whole lot! I'm so glad you guys like it.

This was originally one chapter, but it got so huge that I decided to break it up. I'll post the next chapter super soon. Promise!

I have never been to the Italian Dolomites. I have been to Google. I apologize if I got some details wrong and for the folklore I had to change to fit our tale. Special thanks to UppityBitch for suggesting I weave in folklore with Caroline's research. If you like mythology, definitely check out the Dolomites. They say it's the area that inspired Middle Earth!

If you like what you read, or don't, or have suggestions for world destinations, please take the time to leave me a review!

* * *

Chapter Three – I Loved You Without Hesitation

Dolomite Mountain Range, Northern Italy - 2021

Klaus Mikaelson had traveled the entire world. More than once. Some parts of it he loved, like Paris, so he visited them again and again. Some places he hated and refused to ever go back. The Alps mountain range was a place he had always loved. There was something calming about the air so far above sea level that he always found comforting. Then there was the quiet.

Being a vampire, he hadn't had many opportunities to be completely without humans. Fortunately, humans were usually conveniently located, even more so in recent centuries. Wherever he wanted to travel, someone was nearby for a quick bite. A little snack and a little compulsion and he was on his way. Murder meant hiding bodies, which was time consuming, so he had to be in the mood for it enough to go out of his way. Unfortunately, total peace and quiet was hard to come by. Mountains had indeed become more populous over the years, but once high enough above the sea, the sparser humans became, and then he could experience true silence.

Klaus was alone most of his life in spite of constant company. At least, he felt alone. He was born different, he lived different, he died different and he was undead different. He may have been viciously cut off from his wolf side, but he always felt at home outside, as if he never lost that connection. He enjoyed being out in nature, feeling the rocks beneath his boots and the wind on his face. Nature didn't care who his father was or what he had done. Nature just was.

So, it was without much delay that he and Caroline set off early that morning to hike their way up to the site of the alleged massacre. There were many tales of witches and ogres and elves up high in the Dolomites where they made their climb. Klaus not only knew all the stories but may have had a hand in perpetrating certain tales. However, Caroline carried on her babbling about local legends none the wiser.

"The mountains are said to get their pale color from a princess from the moon! She brought with her this white flower called an Edelweiss," Caroline began knowingly, while Klaus listened politely. "She planted them all over to try and feel more at home here on Earth. It's said that she married the man of her dreams but became so homesick for the white plains of the moon that she had to return. So, the man was wandering this exact area when he came across a gnome." She paused for a moment. "Do you think gnomes are a real thing? Like, have you ever met one?"

Klaus scoffed, "Oh, they're definitely real. Bloody annoying little buggers." At Caroline's incredulous look, he continued, "Well, sweetheart, they are. They have very little power, but they use what they do have to go around making mischief. They're like leprechauns with worse headwear."

Caroline stopped in front of Klaus, holding up her hands. "Woah, woah, woah. Are you seriously saying leprechauns are real? Like, gold at the end of the rainbow, little green outfits, tiny people with pointy ears leprechauns?"

Klaus simply laughed, kissing her on the forehead before continuing up the mountain. "You'll find that most mythical creatures actually are rooted in truth. Do these little creatures actually bring luck and lead you to gold? No. If anything, they're mostly pests. They run around playing pranks and annoying whatever humans are unfortunate enough to move into their midst. They're highly territorial and do not take kindly to humans. Of course, they're only two feet tall at the most, so they've been killed off almost entirely over the centuries."

The blonde vampire gasped. "Killed off? Like… the dead kind of killed off? The extinct kind of dead?"

Klaus laughed at her righteous indignation. "I'm afraid so, love. Although I wouldn't quite say they're extinct, just extremely rare. Anyway, whatever magic this gnome of your story is said to have performed was likely the work of a witch but do continue."

Caroline narrowed her eyes as she realized Klaus knew the story… and, in fact, probably knew all the stories. Still, she continued anyway as silence was NOT something she enjoyed. "Well, the story says that the man told his woes to this gnome, so the gnome cast a spell to paint the mountains beautiful colors, so the princess could return. She came back to Earth and they lived happily ever after! Isn't that just the cutest story ever, Klaus?"

Klaus smiled at her enthusiasm. It was infectious even to him. "An altruistic gnome… That IS a fairy tale, love." Caroline smacked him on the arm. At least, she attempted to but before she knew it Klaus had her pinned to a giant tree. He leaned in and kissed her passionately, listening to her heart speed up. He held her arms in place above her head with one hand while he used the other to glide down her body. He teased her just beneath her ample breasts, making small circles with his fingers as he explored her flesh. It wasn't long before he had her moaning into his mouth and melting into him as he ground up against her. As soon as she lost herself in his kiss, he released her wrists and continued up the trail, laughing as she caught up to him.

"Tease! That wasn't very nice," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You started it if I remember correctly. So violent, Miss Forbes. Perhaps I'm a bad influence," he said, giving her a very suggestive smirk.

Caroline stepped closer and kissed his cheek, pulling his arm around her as they continued up the mountain. "You're not so tough, Mr. Mikaelson," she teased. Klaus snorted, but didn't comment. He hoped that she meant what she said; that she didn't see him as the monster he knew he would always be. She made him want to be different, but in a very new way… at least for him. She and Hope made him want to be better. He wanted to live up to the potential his old therapist always said she saw in him, but he wanted to be that man for Caroline. He would always be grateful that Camille's memory helped him stay alive in that dungeon, but Caroline gave him something to live FOR. After all, she was his last love, too.

The couple walked in silence for quite a while, but eventually Caroline began bubbling again. "Well, since you know so much, why don't you tell me a story of the Dolomites?" Klaus smirked what Caroline called his "evil smirk," obviously reliving something. "Alright, buster. You tell me what's going on up in there right now. I can just tell this is gonna be good."

Klaus turned to Caroline, considering her, before he spoke. "In your research, did you read about the braggart of Plaza de Sura?"

Caroline confidently answered, "Yes. He was a young man who was basically just super full of himself. He was always showing off and stuff. Anyway, the other peasants got annoyed with him, so they told him about this ogre who recently shacked up in Col Maladët with this peasant woman everyone just assumed he kidnapped." Klaus nodded his approval, encouraging her to continue. "Ok, so, obviously the guy had to go hiking up the mountain, so he could kick this ogre guy's ass and save the woman. Which, seriously, is crap because women don't need saving."

Klaus wisely remained silent as she continued. "So proud guy goes up the mountain and, obviously, gets it handed to him. The fable goes the ogre kept him and beat him all night long. He came back to the town the next day all bruised and broken and, well, he wasn't really a braggart after that. The moral of the story is don't let your pride interfere with your reason."

Klaus nodded. "Very good. Would you like to hear the part of the story you don't know?"

Caroline's eyes widened at the prospect of first-hand knowledge. "Ummm, yeah, obviously!"

Klaus smiled a genuine smile as he looked at his bubbly little companion. She was so full of light. So enthusiastic and happy about life, even the little things. He loved that about her, among many other things. "Well, the ogre wasn't exactly an ogre, and the peasant woman was anything but a damsel in distress." Klaus paused for dramatic effect, watching Caroline anxiously awaiting his response. "The woman was a highly powerful witch that my dear, sweet brother took up with in the 13th century. Upon learning what he was and being unable to kill him, she disfigured him, so all might see his 'true face.' She was long gone before anyone knew of her own true nature. Some say the ogre actually ate her, although my brother only wishes that were the case."

"Ohmigod, KOL was the ogre of Col Maladët?" Caroline threw her head back and laughed so loudly and so hard that they had to stop walking. Klaus began laughing, too, and soon they were doubled over, completely out of control. Only Caroline ever made him laugh with total abandon. Eventually, they wiped the tears from their eyes. "That's the greatest thing I've ever heard. But how did he get un-disfigured?"

"Well, in that regard he was quite clever… and also lucky," Klaus began thoughtfully. "While the witch was powerful, she wasn't particularly competent. The spell only lasted as long as her magic overpowered the magic that made him an Original vampire. The more blood he consumed, the less prominent the disfigurement became. So, while he was stuck in full vampire face, he retreated into the mountains of the nearest town and spread rumors of his own presence to lure in the nearest idiot he knew would come to challenge him."

"So, when the braggart came along, Kol drained him, but then let him walk away?" Caroline asked skeptically. She knew the stories about Klaus' most volatile sibling. She had always been led to believe that he was bordering on psychotic before he met Davina Clare. "That doesn't sound like the Kol I've ever heard of."

"Well, he didn't simply drain him, love. He drained him over and over: drain, heal, drain, heal, until the effects of the spell were completely gone. It took quite a while, hence the overnight satay. In between feedings, just as the man was feeling on top again, he tried to fight back. Kol always told me he found it quite amusing. He always appreciated good spirit in an opponent. I'm quite certain if the man had fallen to the floor and begged for his life, Kol would have torn out his throat on the spot," Klaus reflected.

"The bruises and broken bones came from all the times Kol flicked him off before he fed. Even though the braggart was a very large and imposing man, he was no match for Kol. In the end, Kol was so impressed with the man's resilience that he let him leave alive, although I suspect the fable is correct in stating he didn't have much pride after that," Klaus smiled at the memory. Of the many horrors New Orleans had brought his family, the city had returned to him his baby brother, and that always made him smile. "He spent the next twenty years searching for the witch to exact his revenge, but eventually he gave up and rejoined our family… where he spent the next decade lying in a box… remembering his loyalties." Klaus smiled innocently as Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, you and your daggers, Klaus. Thank GOD Hope and I don't come with handy dandy sleep forever trinkets," Caroline said emphatically.

Klaus flashed his hybrid eyes at her and smirked, pulling her flush against him, her nose touching his. "No, love…" he began, slowly trailing his finger down her face, down her arm, across her hips, stopping when his finger reached the bottom of her zipper. He lowered his eyes to admire her body, growling softly at the sight of her and the sound of her pulse increasing. He leaned in to her ear and whispered, "I have far more entertaining ways of torturing you, little one." He licked the shell of her ear and ran his tongue down her neck, biting hard in just the right spot to make her melt into him. He pulled back and sighed, taking one last look at her flushed face before joining his hand in hers and tugging her forward.

"Come. If you don't want to sleep outside again, we need to keep moving." Caroline made a little humph sound and pouted her lips. Klaus smirked, his eyes flashing yellow with promises of future debauchery. "Don't worry sweetheart, I have plenty of entertaining little items packed in my suitcase to fulfill all of your torturous desires," he said, winking at her as her face flushed once again. She opened her mouth, but he silenced her with a finger to her strawberry lips. "And no, I will not be telling you what they are. You'll just have to behave like a good girl if you'd like to find out." She sucked his finger into her mouth and he hummed appreciatively, flashing her a smile with full dimples.

They came upon a giant lake that took Caroline's breath away. She knew where they were headed, had seen plenty of pictures. But the still beauty was more glorious than any photo could ever capture. They moved in silence as Klaus watched her in awe, often feeling about her the same way she felt about the lake: no painting would ever be enough.

Caroline decided they had gone far enough as the sun reached its peak in the sky. "The northern tip of Lago di Braies can't be that much farther. We should stop for lunch. I packed preserved cervo, pumpkin Casunziei – those are the little ravioli thingies – polenta bread, fontina cheese and blood; B positive, of course," she said as she began pulling the food out of the backpack Klaus had been carrying. Klaus smiled as he watched her enthusiastically set up little plates for them. Of course, she would have thought to pack local cuisine. It was just so Caroline to want to experience everything, even if she was getting excited about glorified deer jerky. If she was happy, he was happy.

Caroline Forbes was the sun around which his universe revolved, and Klaus Mikaelson was the moon waiting for her light to bring him back from the dark.

* * *

New Orleans – 2027

Caroline Forbes turned off her Range Rover and glared at the smiling face next to her. "Welcome to New Orleans, Caroline." The women got out of the SUV and got their bags out of the trunk. Hope Mikaelson reached up to pull down the door and slammed it shut. "Home sweet home."

"Home sweet Hell is more like it," Caroline grumbled. New Orleans was just a well-lit swamp as far as she was concerned. The mosquitos buzzed around her face as she failed in her attempts to bat them away. "Remind me again why you had this place rebuilt? I mean, seriously, is this just what happens when kids suddenly inherit a billion dollars?" Caroline asked as they wheeled their bags up the stone walkway to the newly renovated Mikaelson Mansion.

"Umm, because it's my family's history?" Hope replied sarcastically, scoffing at her. Caroline rolled her eyes. Hope opened the door with her thumbprint and a security code. Caroline raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, don't give me that look. Magic keeps the vampires out, not the robbers. I had all my dad's and uncle's collections brought here… a collection I'm told you helped yourself too on multiple occasions, I might add," Hope added with a wink as they walked into the kitchen.

"Woah, woah, woah," Caroline began, helping herself to a blood bag from the fridge she'd had stocked in preparation for their visit… during the whole ten minutes Hope gave her to prepare, that is. "It's not exactly 'helping myself'" she made finger quotes, "if your dad repeatedly insisted on giving me things from his creepy trophy case of family collectibles. It's not like I begged him for anything. Well, ok, maybe this one time, but it was when my perfect perfect prom dress got stolen." Caroline narrowed her eyes as Hope covered her mouth, trying not to laugh the same way her father had. "It was NOT funny."

At Caroline's indignant expression, Hope laughed outright, her smile lighting up the room and triggering Caroline to laugh herself. "Ok, ok, you're right. I'm sure it was very serious. I mean, it must have been if you actually 'begged' my dad. I kinda always thought you wore the pants in that relationship. I can't see you begging him for anything," Hope laughed.

Caroline's eyes widened as she turned away to hide her blush. If only Hope knew… Caroline covered up her reaction quickly by tossing her bag into the trash can on the other side of the room before turning back to face the smiling redhead. "Well, you're certainly in a good mood for a change," she commented.

Hope hopped up on the marble countertop, her legs dangling off the edge. "Why wouldn't I be? We're here in my family's city. I'm going to get to talk to my dad and we can get on with this whole resurrection thing. Things are finally looking up."

"I'm glad you think so, because I still have no idea how that crazy urn thing works," Caroline said, leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed.

"Whelp, it worked for the ancient Egyptians or whatever, so it'll work for us," she shrugged, sipping a glass of sweet tea. "And we know a little bit about it. You finally translated the hieroglyphics, right?"

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, but it's weird."

"Weird like how? Like 'it requires the blood of an innocent child' terrible weird? Or 'tongue of dog, ear of bat' gross weird? Help me out here," Hope inquired as she set down her tea, the ice jingling pleasantly against the glass.

"Weird like 'doesn't make sense' weird," Caroline told her, although she was starting to realize maybe weird was the norm for her now.

Hope waived her hand dismissively. "Witchcraft never makes sense at first. My dad taught me that when I was, like, seven." Caroline smiled, remembering how Klaus told her the same thing… repeatedly. Maybe she didn't totally get it since she wasn't a witch, but she mostly just found nonsense, well, nonsensical. "What did it say again? Something about ashes?"

Caroline nodded, trying to remember the exact translation and failing. "Yeah, it was something about mixing the ash of the dead with the ash of the living," she paraphrased.

"Huh," Hope shrugged. "That is weird. But, I'm sure we'll figure it out. First, we need to know if he wants to come back, which brings us back to why we're here." Hope nodded her head resolutely. Caroline smiled at her. She hadn't even entertained the idea that Klaus wouldn't want to come back. But, Hope was right… there was that possibility. This would make it easier for both of them, and it would give Klaus hope that he was coming home to her… and his daughter. "Tell me about this witch guy again? You said he was from the Tremé, but you never told me his name. I wonder if I know him," she added the last part idly, almost to herself. "When's he coming?"

Caroline clapped her hands together, the organizer in her coming out to play. "Yes. Right. He should be here any minute. Come on, help me set up some hors d'oeuvres. I grabbed some stuff in that store we stopped at a couple hours ago. It's nothing fancy, but we have to be good hostesses you know."

Hope rolled her eyes as the two women carried the snacks into the giant living room. Her time in Virginia hadn't exactly instilled in her southern hospitality. "Yes, of course. You have a reputation to uphold, Miss Mystic," she sniggered. Caroline glared at her. Hope bit her lower lip to keep from laughing. The older woman took that competition so seriously and Hope thought it was ridiculous for the longest time. Then, Caroline confided in her that she and her father had their first date at the pageant the year Caroline passed on the crown. Now it was more a term of endearment between the two women than anything else. "So, what's his name?" she asked again.

"Oh, right. Yes, he's from the Tremé, which is supposed to be super historic and I'm totally planning on making your dad take me when he comes back," Caroline babbled while Hope rolled her eyes. Caroline DEFNITELY wore the pants… or perfectly accessorized skirt. Whichever. "He seemed really nice when we emailed. I got his info from Emma. I guess she's known him for a long time. Apparently, he has a lot of experience talking to the spirits, so that makes him just perfect, right?" Hope stared at Caroline, amused, although the latter didn't seem to see the humor. "What's that look for?" she asked, hands on hips.

Hope rolled her eyes again. "Seriously?" she said, using Caroline's favorite adverb. "Care, literally every witch in Nola has experience talking to the spirits. We've got the ancestors on speed dial."

"I thought New Orleans witches didn't practice ancestral magic anymore?" the blonde asked, somewhat confused.

Hope sighed. "We don't, but that doesn't mean the dead aren't still there for guidance. They just don't have to live in a smelly old well anymore and can't touch our magic since it doesn't come from them."

Caroline nodded, pouring glasses of fresh sweet tea for the three of them. She checked her watch and saw that it was almost time. "Well, I'm glad they've moved on to nicer accommodations." Hope chuckled before Caroline continued. "Anyway, this guy is supposed to be really good. Like, the best. His name is Vincent, and- "

Hope spit out the sip of sweet tea she had just taken, slamming down her glass so hard Caroline was afraid it would break. "Vincent?" Caroline nodded absently, setting up crackers on the platter in neat little rows next to the cheese. "Vincent GRIFFITH, Caroline?" Hope shouted.

Caroline set down the grapes she was about to arrange and looked up at Hope, hand cocked on her hip. "Yeah, that's the guy. What's the problem? You wanted a New Orleans witch, so I found one. And from what I heard around school, he's pretty powerful. Plus, he has a baby on the way, so obviously he values family. Although I don't think he's married; it's with his BFF or something… which is kinda cool. Very 21st century," Caroline nodded approvingly as she folded tiny napkins into neat little diamonds, oblivious to the redhead's distress.

Hope groaned, spinning around in a circle and stomping her feet. "Caroline! Vincent Griffith is coming HERE? Now? He knows we're in town?"

Caroline put down the napkins, annoyed that Hope was interrupting her hostessing. "Of course, he knows. He's literally who we came here to see." The redhead groaned again, grabbing her head in frustration. "Ok, WHAT is your issue, Hope? You're not being a very gracious hostess right now," she pointed her finger in disapproval. Manners mattered.

Hope laughed without humor, shaking her head back in forth at the vampire's ignorance. "Care, Vincent Griffith is having a baby with my AUNTS. And you told him not only that we're here, but why!"

Caroline's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open in shock. "He… he knows your family?" Hope gave her a look and nodded at her like the older woman was the world's biggest idiot. "Well, if he's BFFs with your aunts, then that's good, right? Like, he should want to help, right?"

Hope's laugh continued in an odd way that chilled Caroline. She had never seen the tribrid like this. And she didn't like it. "Way to go, Care. Way to go!" Hope clapped her hands together several times. "Vincent HATED my dad! You just outed us to the ONE person who is as desperate to keep him dead as we are to bring him back!"

"You got that right, little lady," a deep voice came from the foyer as Vincent Griffith walked into the room. "Hope you don't mind me letting myself in and all. Figured I'd make you ladies feel welcome," he smiled sarcastically. "And since we obviously all know why we're here, let's get to the part where I tell you that there is no way in hell I am ever going to allow Klaus Mikaelson to return from the grave," he said cordially, but the women could see past his charm and hear the venom dripping off his tongue.

Caroline rounded on him. "You tricked me, buddy! You knew all along who I was and why we needed your help and you let us come all this way for nothing. You're…" Caroline stopped and held her hands up to her mouth. "No, you know what, I am not doing this. I am not going to waste my time on you. Get back in your car and get on with your life. We can, and WILL, do this without you." She was determined not to let this man bring her down. There were plenty of other witches.

Vincent stepped closer, eerie smile still in place. A smile that said he was not to be trusted or trifled with. "Oh, you didn't come for nothing. You came here so I can make it abundantly clear to you exactly why I am personally going to make sure this ends now."

"Excuse me, but who exactly do you think YOU are to tell me what I can and cannot do, Vince?" Hope asked menacingly. "Have you forgotten where I come from?"

Vincent moved closer to Caroline, angling himself away from Hope. "Hope," he started, pointing his hands at her, "I know you grew up way too young, but you are not grown up enough to make this kind of decision. This right here, this is between me and Caroline."

"No!" Caroline shouted. "There is no," she waved her hands between them, "'this!' You may not want to help us, but you sure as hell can't stop us."

"I can't let you do it." He shook his head from side to side as he walked closer. Caroline tilted her head down menacingly as her fists began to clench, fighting to keep her nails from sharpening. "I can't let you bring him back." Caroline's eyes narrowed as she took a step closer, fight or flight kicking in. "You have no idea what you're doing, Caroline." Vincent held his hands together, gesticulating as he spoke. "Look, I know you loved him, I do. I get it. And Hope? That's her dad. Of course, she wants him back. All little girls want their daddies back, but that doesn't mean they get to manipulate nature to reverse death. A death he chose, I might remind you."

Caroline could barely contain her outrage, her voice rising an octave. "He chose it because it was the best option at the time! He was being a good father. He was—"

"He was what, Caroline? Hmm?" he asked incredulously, shrugging his shoulders emphatically. "The Patron Saint of New Orleans? I know you may not give a damn about New Orleans, but I do. This is MY home. MY city. And you come into MY city and ask for help bringing back Klaus Mikaelson? You're so blinded by that love that you're not seeing straight. You have no idea what you're doing, little lady. You have no idea who that man was—"

"I know perfectly well who Klaus Mikaelson was AND what he did," Caroline screamed. "And I know it all because I SAW it all," which she had. "I know he was 'The Original Hybrid' once" she made finger quotes, "but I also know who he became. And you know what?" Caroline laughed humorlessly, throwing her head back before meeting him eye-to-eye, nose-to-nose. "I don't give a FUCK who he was before! Before he had a daughter. Before he fell in love with me. Before he faked his daughter's death the day she was born to keep her safe from werewolves and YOUR witches," she held up fingers for each point, her face bright red and her voice hoarse. "Before he brought back his own mother just to kill her again to protect that baby from their Aunt Dahlia. Before he spent five YEARS being tortured in a dungeon to save the siblings he spent a MILLENNIUM protecting!" Her breathing was audible as she gasped in between each breathe, anger consuming her. "Before he gave up those siblings, so his baby girl could be free of The Hollow without a moment's hesitation. Before he willingly sacrificed his own LIFE so that his only daughter, his princess, his legacy, could grow up and grow old," she pointed dramatically at Hope as she spoke about her. "He gave up EVERYTHING he had for the people he loved!" She screamed right in his face, their heaving chests nearly touching. "So yeah, I know EXACTLY who Klaus Mikaelson was and I know with perfect clarity what it is that I'm doing," she pounded her fist against her chest. "Yes, I loved him, I did. But you know what else? I am not FINISHED loving him and THAT is why I will move Heaven and Earth to bring him back, however long it takes!" she shrieked, shoving him back with her hands as her rage flashed the dark veins under her eyes and her fangs fell down from her gums.

"So, you can either help me, or you can get the hell out of my way!"

* * *

A/N Who else loves when Caroline gets all feisty? I had a lot of fun writing that bit. The next chapter is going to tell us the history of The Merge and finish up our little excursion to New Orleans. Stay tuned… and bring a tissue!

Xoxoxo

Eli


	5. I Watched the World Fall

A/N Hey! Thank you to all of you who are with me on this wild ride. Grab a tissue. Hope's about to take a trip…

* * *

Chapter Four - I Watched the World Fall

Dolomite Mountain Range, Northern Italy – 2021

Klaus and Caroline sat on a patch of grass, which had become more and more sparse the higher they travelled. Klaus had to admit that the food was very good in its simplicity. The Ladin people of the Dolomites were never a rich group, so their recipes were minimal. Those of their stories that were not based on adventures of actual mystical creatures were based on fears of their time, many of which were related to the rugged terrain. Humans always needed stories to explain the inexplicable, and it was easier to say an evil witch cursed a valley than to admit a loved one fell off a cliff after too much grappa. Klaus had repeatedly explained this to Caroline, but the young vampire was resolute that this legend was one of the tales based on actual fact.

"Tell me again about this fairytale, sweetheart," Klaus said around a mouthful of fontina on polenta.

Caroline rolled her eyes as she swallowed down a bite of delicious pumpkin Casunziei, marveling at the new taste. "It isn't a fairytale, Klaus. It's a legend. Fairy tales are fantastic stories about magical creatures. Fantastic as in FANTASY. Legends are stories based on facts, but without—"

"Without substantiation," Klaus cut her off. "Facts without proof, Caroline. In all probability, this legend of yours is based on nothing but the fears of an ancient people trying to find answers to questions that can't be asked."

Caroline shushed him. "Do you want to hear my story or not?" she asked, glaring as she took a sip out of her blood bag. Klaus raised an eyebrow at her shushing but nodded his head and she continued. "So according to LEGEND, there was once an entire community made up entirely of witches, a big one. A whole village: men, women and children all with their own powers… or, well, most of them. This is the part that makes me think it's helpful to us. The translation is a little odd and the grimoire was a little faded," Klaus snorted at that. The grimoire was a lot faded. "There were some witches who, for reasons unknown, were born without power. At first, it was only one or two per generation, but it wasn't unheard of throughout the world. It still happens from what Bonnie told me. Sometimes children are born without power."

Klaus sipped his blood before speaking, leaving his raspberry lips very appealing soaked in red, at least as far as the blonde was concerned. "It's not that unfathomable, really. It's like any other trait that gets watered down as groups mix with other groups. It has happened all throughout history, never more so than in America."

"And that is why it's called the melting pot, Professor Mikaelson," Caroline added cheekily.

Klaus smirked, grabbing her firmly by her messy bun and crashing his lips onto hers in a bruising kiss. Her eyes widened in shock as she processed his tongue taking control of her mouth. She closed her eyes and gave in to him, her cheese forgotten on the hard ground. He tugged her hair down and lay her on the ground beneath him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and his hand wandered up her shirt to massage her breast, pinching her nipple. He sucked her lower lip into his mouth and bit it until he drew blood. Pulling away, he licked her blood off his lip as his smirk returned. "I'll be your professor anytime. There are many things I plan on teaching you, Caroline." She lay on her back, breathing heavily, as he sat up and had a sip of water, enjoying how he rattled her.

Sitting up, Caroline rearranged her clothes before continuing. "As I way saying, eventually the community got pretty big, so there were more like 15-20 of them," Caroline said, remembering that one grimoire reported the number as low as a dozen, but another reported twice that number. "It got to be really hard and painful for them to be around so much magic, but unable to use it themselves. So, the squibs ventured off and formed their own 'coven' so to speak, just beyond the eastern tip of Pragser Wildsee, aka Lago di Braies," Caroline continued, stumbling over the Italian pronunciation.

Klaus interjected, "Aka Lake Braies. It is acceptable to speak your own language, love, if the alternative is to butcher another."

Caroline clucked her tongue, offended. "Well excuse me for not having lived a billion years to learn every language Mr. I-speak-with-a-fake-British-accent-even-though-my-Norweigan-mother-gave-birth-to-me-in-Virgnia," she spit out sarcastically.

Klaus laughed at the look she gave him, so full of flare. So full of light. He felt the words he wanted so much to say at the end of his tongue. Instead he said, "Caroline, my siblings and I have had many accents and spoken in many languages in our centuries moving from place to place. In this era, we're all free to choose an accent because we like the way it sounds. I like proper English, so that's what I speak. In time you'll do the same with whatever accent you like."

Caroline shrugged. "Hmm. I guess I never thought about it… but it does explain why Rebekah sounds like she's from the Outback." Klaus barked out a laugh at that, mentally reminding himself to tell her the story on that someday. Caroline was new to eternal life, but she had read the legend multiple times over in multiple languages and each version of it led her to the conclusion that it was true. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Klaus choked on his deer meat, trying not to laugh at her indignant expression. After feigning a momentary cough, he flashed her the dimples that always won her over. She gave him a mocking smile and an eye roll. "This essentially human coven lived peacefully for many years until one day a stranger found their magically-impaired witch village. She was said to be the most beautiful and ethereal woman any of them had ever seen."

"That was only because you were yet to be born, sweetheart," Klaus added smoothly.

"Oh, well thank you very much," she replied, winking at him. "The beautiful stranger turned out to be an evil sorceress, which I think means she was just an uber powerful witch. Like, Bonnie Bennet destroying Hell powerful." Caroline smiled, thinking of her friend. They hadn't talked much since she set up the school, so she made a mental note to call her when she got back to town.

"So, the beautiful stranger came and got them all riled up by telling them how they could tap into the magic nature had denied them. Of course, they were all like, yay magic! But being so insulated against the rest of their families, they hadn't been taught about things like light magic or dark magic, so they had no idea how high a price they would have to pay in exchange." She stopped to take a breath and have a few more bites of the soft, creamy cheese, loving the way it melted on her tongue. "What they didn't know was that they wouldn't be GIVEN magic, like from the spirits or from nature. They would be STEALING magic from their respective blood lines, making them the first known siphoner witches, although there are some other stories of power-sharing throughout history, but nothing of this magnitude."

Klaus leaned back on his elbows, looking up at Caroline. "You know, I really bloody hate blood lines. Blood lines, sire lines. It's a nuisance is what it is. Personally, I couldn't be happier that my mother and Ansel are dead, and I'm cut off from my sire line. I'm my own man, linked by blood or magic to no one but my daughter and siblings, all of whom recognize me as their leader."

Ignoring that last comment, Caroline smiled gently, setting her plate aside to scoot closer to him. She knew he was glad about the former, but she also knew how much it hurt that his real father had been so close just to die again by Klaus' own hand. She also knew how deep the rejection of his sire line ran. This time it was her turn to stay silent. Disliking the pity he saw in her eyes, he sat up a bit and moved behind her, rubbing her neck and shoulders through her jacket as she continued.

"The siphoners loved their families, but they didn't exactly have cars back then and it was early winter when they got their powers. So, when the spring came, they were like totally addicted to the magic and basically worshipped this uber witch like a deity. They all made the journey back to the northern tip of Lago de Braies and returned home to visit their families," she paused, daring Klaus to challenge her pronunciation, but he held his tongue, smirking. "They found their families pretty much dying and looking all gaunt and weak. The elders of the community hadn't been able to figure out why they had been drained of all energy, but when they saw the uber witch, they could feel the black magic coming off of her in waves. She had used her own blood to link the bloodlines, so with every breath the newly empowered siphoners took, she gained more power.

"Of course, the elders tried to tell the siphoners what the uber witch had done, but they were so drunk on power that, while they knew it was true, they pretty much didn't care. With witches beginning to die all around them, they took over the community, easily overpowering any who dared challenge them. Some of the witches died before the siphoners even got there, but others lasted quite a while before the uber witch commanded her troops to just slaughter everyone: man, woman and child, which they did, obviously. That was the first massacre.

"The legend says that only one witch escaped, a young girl, because she was pregnant by a local shepherd with no magical affiliation. One of the female siphoners slaughtered a goat and threw that in the lake, all skinned and bloody and disfigured, instead. So, the siphoners took over and ruled the area. Well, however many years later, the baby had grown into adulthood. In a bit of historical irony, it was BECAUSE her father was human that her connection to her mother's blood line was broken, making her power totally sovereign," Caroline said, stopping to enjoy a moment of Klaus' ministrations. His hands molded to her muscles like butter and she leaned into his touch, sighing happily. She had missed him. He slipped his hands beneath her jacket and rubbed little circles with his thumbs against her bare flesh, eliciting a moan.

"Ugh, Klaus, that feels so good. You're distracting me." Klaus began to pull his hands out of her jacket, but she reached around and stilled him. "That didn't mean stop!" she laughed, pulling her knees up and resting her head on her folded arms. "Ok ok, where was I? Oh, right. So, the kid grew up and her mom taught her as much as she possibly could before the spell consumed her, too. It was their family's grimoire that led me to all this, as you know." Klaus nodded his acknowledgment. "The coven had always practiced natural magic, but the young witch knew that her daughter's magic would never be enough to defeat the siphoner witches, let alone the uber witch. The mom died before she got it all worked out, but she passed on the idea that they could draw power from the dead. It took until she was in her mid-twenties, but the daughter did find that connection, thus creating ancestral magic here in the Dolomites. A few years went by as she conferred with the ancestors, biding her time."

"Bloody ancestors," Klaus growled, rolling his eyes. Caroline shushed him again. Rather than complying, and also growing slightly bored by the millionth retelling of the same story and continuing to find no reason to hope, he flipped them over, so he was lying flat on top of her, pinning her hands to the ground on either side of her dead. Caroline looked up at him and licked her lips. He nuzzled her neck and hummed out a deep, erotic growl as he ground his lean body against her. He gave her a dark smirk, let his eyes glow hybrid yellow and leaned down, his lips barely brushing hers as he spoke. "Shush me again and you'll wish you hadn't," he whispered dangerously yet so softly that she barely heard it, even with supernatural hearing. Caroline felt a jolt of electric arousal shoot to her core at the erotic images dancing through her mind. Klaus raised himself up, releasing her wrists and smirked down at her, offering her his hand. "Come," he ordered authoritatively." We should keep moving. I trust you can walk and talk at the same time," he said, throwing her his dimples as if he hadn't left her aching with need. Tormenting her was the highlight of his day.

It took Caroline a minute to gain her bearings before taking his outstretched hands. Klaus had a thousand years of sexual experience on her and was never opposed to reminding her of that. He loved the way she flushed and blushed when he toyed with her. Loved knowing how deeply he affected her. Loved the power that came from her arousal. Caroline Forbes was his favorite entertainment. She quickly gathered up their supplies before Klaus tossed the backpack over his shoulders, and they continued their hike, his fingers intertwined with hers.

After a few minutes, Caroline continued. "Finally, the time to act came when the witch learned she was pregnant, her husband also a witch. They used the blood bond of their unborn child to link his ancestors to hers. With the full power of the ancestors at her disposal, the witch returned to her rightful home to face the traitors of her people… the ones alive after like thirty years, anyway, and whatever families they had by then. I'm sure it was, like, a super epic battle between light and dark magic, but the book skips over some of the details. Anyway, the witch casts a spell binding each siphoner's magic to their own body, essentially unplugging the uber witch's power cord, so the only way they could draw power was through direct contact, which is how siphoning works today."

"At least that's what you're hoping, you mean. As you said, there are other stories of power sharing throughout various cultures," Klaus added, hating how far-fetched the entire thing was. He dreaded seeing her disappointment when she realized there had never been any such village and it was just a story to keep children from craving power and imparting upon them the need for familial loyalty.

She started to shush him but cut herself off mid-shh when Klaus eyed her up and down, daring her to finish the syllable. Deciding against it, Caroline continued. "There are other stories, but this is the only one that accounts for the stigma innocent children like my daughters are forced to live with. Anyway, the uber witch's beauty faded and her true form was revealed, which was apparently quite grotesque, cuz, you know, ugly just HAS to be evil, right? So not PC, but whatever. She goes into a fit of rage and makes with the slaughter. It was a complete and total massacre, even more horrific than the first, if you can believe that. She just rips hearts out and breaks necks left and right. As they die, the dark magic seeps into the earth and their spirits move on to the ancestral realm, which is hopefully nicer than that witch ghetto in New Orleans."

"Actually, I found the ancestral well quite fitting for that lot," Klaus added menacingly, his eyes darkening as he heard the distant whispers of The Hollow trying to break through the mental barrier he tried to maintain. It was also easier to shut it out with Caroline nearby. He squeezed her hand gently.

Caroline replied, "I'm not particularly inclined to disagree with you on that one, though in general I think everyone should one day find Peace, no matter what they've done." She stilled for a moment and he knew she was thinking about Stefan, wondering if she would ever see him again. He loved her enough to hope she did… although he had no problem coming along when she went to make sure they found Peace together. Dead or alive: Caroline was his… but if it brought her joy to have Stefan as a friend, then he wanted that for her.

After a couple of minutes of silent reflection, during which Klaus noticed she fiddled with the rings around her neck, she went on. "The more magic that made its way into the ancestral realm flowed back out and into her. She fought valiantly to save the others, but the legend says that in the end it took the spirit magic of everyone there to take out the uber witch, leaving the witch entirely alone, her whole family slaughtered in that same spot just north of Lago de Braies. In a last attempt to survive, or I think to basically be a sore loser, she marked the land and cursed the witch and unborn child with part of her own twisted soul."

Klaus growled. "Why is it powerful witches always feel the need to cast one last curse before they die? Did it ever occur to them to use that power to try and save themselves? Or maybe just go down with a modicum of pride? No. Vindictive and petty creatures, evil witches. I sincerely hope there is a special place in whatever Hell dimension exists for those foul beasts." Caroline squeezed his hand, knowing he was thinking of his daughter and The Hollow. She too hoped that witch was suffering for all that she had taken from the Original Hybrid. At times like this, she longed to tell him how much she loved him, but she held back… for now. "So, what exactly is it you hope to accomplish with the information from the 'legend' you found?" he asked, making air quotes with his free hand.

Caroline sighed. She knew Klaus didn't have any faith in her plan, but she ended the story anyway. "I think when the uber witch died, that part of her soul Merged with the good witch and set the stage for The Merge my girls will one day go through. I think the way the curse affected the baby led to the birth of what we now know as a siphoner witch, meaning her father's bloodline became the ancestors of the modern-day Gemini coven, although obviously none of them are in this area anymore and probably haven't been for centuries. The psychic injuries run so deep that Gemini's instinctively hate siphoners without even really knowing why, like it's embedded in their collective unconscious. And I think that hatred is why Kai Parker became who he became and did what he did."

Caroline fell into silence at last. The two walked hand in hand as the ground became more and more unforgiving. Eventually, Klaus broke the silence. "Well, the Gemini's only saving grace may be that Joshua Parker's last spell was to ensure the future of his coven by transferring Jo's pregnancy onto you. Thus far, the girls don't seem to have inherited this sorceress's rage, nor have they been raised with the hatred no child ever deserves." Caroline squeezed his hand, knowing he wasn't talking only about her children. That was their bond: knowing without words what the other couldn't say.

"I hope you're right. Kai was a monster who was treated horribly by his own family and no, no one deserves that, especially an innocent child. I'm certainly not making any excuses for him given that he single handedly slaughtered half of my daughter's family, but I do think his upbringing played a role… I'm just not sure that's all it is." Klaus gave her a quizzical look, urging her to continue. He knew his Caroline well enough to know when she was holding back. With a long suffering sighed, she told him, "Lizzie has a temper of her own. She has these… fits. Or, I guess the doctor calls them episodes."

"Caroline, you've never told me Lizzie was having problems," Klaus stated, although it sounded to Caroline more like an inquisition. She hated having anything in her life she couldn't talk about with him, but this was just too painful to put into words. She hoped he would see it that way and wouldn't think she didn't trust him. She knew exactly how Klaus reacted to perceived betrayal.

The blonde vampire's eyes teared up, but she wiped them away before they fell. "In the beginning I thought it was just normal little kid stuff, having tantrums. But now she's seven and not so little. Josie can be as bratty as the next kid from time to time, but nothing like Lizzie. Lizzie goes into rages and gets so damn destructive, Klaus. She just screams and screams like she's possessed and grabs whatever magic she can to throw whatever is nearby through the nearest window." She paused again to take a deep breath, somewhat relieved to get it out of her.

"But then other times I can't even get her out of bed and she just wants to hide in the dark and cry. The doctor said she has this thing called Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder or whatever. I guess it's what they label kids like Lizzie when they're too young for anything else. He said she may grow up and be completely fine," Caroline smiled hopefully at that. "But she might also grow up to have something like Bipolar Disorder. He started her on a low dose antidepressant and it seems to help some with the sad days, but the rage is still there."

Klaus nodded thoughtfully. "And you're hoping if this curse is real then getting rid of it will also get rid of Lizzie's episodes." Caroline nodded her head, looking down as they walked. "That's perfectly understandable, love. However, I do wish you had told me sooner." He squeezed her hand. "You can tell me anything, sweetheart. There's no judgment here." Caroline looked at him but returned her gaze to the ground without comment as they pushed past the thick bed of trees through which they had been traversing. "For your girls' sake, I hope you're right about that." Klaus' voice suddenly dropped and echoed with growing emotion. "Unfortunately, I fear you may have been wrong on at least one count."

The blonde vampire sighed, not particularly wanting to hear his answer, but asked, "Yeah? And what's that?" Caroline finally looked up when Klaus pulled her to a stop, and she gasped at the dark, hooded figures moving in on them from all sides. She heard the familiar language Bonnie used echoing around the circle in surround sound as she fell to her knees, screaming as the pain of a magical aneurysm overwhelmed her.

"The part where they're all long gone," he growled out between clenched teeth as he towered over her.

Klaus reflexively angled his body in between her and the obvious leader of the coven from whom the spell emanated, shielding her as best he could by taking the brunt of the pain himself, but Caroline knew it wasn't enough. Behind the blazing agony was the terrible knowledge that unconsciousness was coming and there was nothing she could do to stop it... or stop him. She was terrified of the monsters outside the circle, but also of the one emerging right next to her… the one she tried so hard to see past, but always knew was bubbling just beneath the surface. The rage emanating off the man she had come to love was palpable, and in that moment, she knew he was nowhere to be found. The man of her dreams had been replaced by the Original Hybrid of so many nightmares.

The last thing Caroline saw was glowing yellow eyes and two sets of sharp fangs before the world went black.

* * *

New Orleans – 2027

Hope watched in shock at Caroline's rant. She knew the woman had fire, but she had never seen it like that before. Knowing how much the blonde vampire loved her dad was different that witnessing just how much she needed him, too. She walked over to her and lay a hand on her shoulder, barely containing her own rage. The two women stared at the man before them, hatred flowing through them like lightning.

Vincent bobbed his head up and down, considering them before he spoke. "Alright," he said, throwing his hands up in a defensive gesture. "Alright. I can see that you ain't gonna listen to me, but Hope? I know someone else who might have something to say about this. Come on," he added, gesturing for them to follow him outside. When they reached the Range Rover, he held open the driver's side. "Follow me," he said to Caroline before turning to address Hope as she got in the passenger's side. "We're going to see your Aunt Freya." He closed the door as he got in his own car and led them through the streets of New Orleans.

Caroline reached over and squeezed Hope's hand. "It's gonna be ok, Hope. No matter what happens today, this is going to be ok. I promise. We will find another way. I mean, we always do, right?" she smiled sympathetically.

Hope squeezed back and smiled sadly, not having much faith in the words. "Right. I'm sure it'll work out somehow."

The two women followed the witch down the country roads and made their way into the French Quarter. Caroline sighed, irritated. "So, does, like, your entire family know that your dad and I are.. were…?" she started, exasperated.

At that, Hope laughed and genuinely smiled. "Does everyone know that you ARE so completely head over heels in love that the rest of us want to puke? Yeah, pretty much. I mean, he never said anything… but he didn't have to. And you with the constant texting? Pfft." She rolled her eyes. "I ALWAYS knew when you were talking to my dad because you smiled like… well, like a 17-year-old girl," she finished, shrugging.

Caroline rolled her eyes, "Great. So, does everyone in Mystic Falls know, too?"

Hope waved her hand dismissively. "No, I wouldn't say EVERYONE. I mean, Alaric DEFITELY has no idea, thank God." Caroline blew out a whoosh of air at that one. He would have to find out one day, but she was putting that off as long as possible… at least until the girls were adults and he couldn't take them away. Hope smirked and Caroline looked at her suspiciously. "But the twins do," she smiled.

Caroline let out a groan. "Oh my God. When did- "

"Years, Caroline. They've known for years," Hope said. Caroline's jaw dropped and Hope laughed again. "Don't worry. If they were going to say anything to Ric they would have by now. I'm pretty sure they don't particularly care all that much. They're pretty wrapped up in their own world."

Caroline hummed, "Hmm. Yeah, I can see that. We all are, I guess."

They rode the rest of the way to the compound in silence, each lost in thought. Things were not going according to plan, and Caroline hated when things didn't go according to plan. Klaus used to tease her that the best gift he could ever get her would be a daily schedule mapping out every day for the rest of her existence. The memory of him brought her a small amount of comfort.

This would work. It had to.

The women walked into the courtyard to find Freya sitting with a very pregnant Keelin. Both women smiled widely as Hope came into view. Freya rose and held a hand on her wife's shoulder to keep her from doing the same. "Hey there, kiddo." Hope walked right into her embrace and lay her head on her shoulder. Freya rubbed her back soothingly. "I've missed you so much!" She pulled out of their embrace and held her niece's face in both hands. "But I hear you've been getting yourself into trouble, eh?" She smiled sympathetically.

Hope pulled back aghast. "Et tu, Aunt Freya?" She took a couple of steps back, betrayal rushing through her.

Freya held out a hand to help her wife up. "Honey why don't you and Vince go find something in the kitchen you haven't already eaten?" she joked.

Keelin laughed and smacked her jokingly on the shoulder. "Hey, it's your egg that's making me eat everything in sight." The two women squeezed hands and smiled at each other and pecked their lips together. Caroline's heart ached at the sight of such happiness, wondering if that's how people saw her with Klaus when they traveled. She hoped so. "You sure you're ok, babe?" the pregnant woman asked skeptically, eyes the two visitors.

Freya kissed her on the check and released her hand, nodding. "Yeah. I'm fine. We're just going to have a little chat, right ladies?" Freya smiled at them, encouraging them to stay calm in front of Keelin. Caroline flashed her Miss Mystic smile while Hope's smile was more of a grimace. Keelin and Vincent walked out of the courtyard arm in arm, although the former's walk was more of a waddle. Freya sighed happily at the sight of her modern family. The smile faded from her face as she turned back to the women. She looked at them and shrugged, not knowing what to say.

Hope spoke up, "Well, I guess you know why we're here then," she said, very matter of fact.

Freya smiled sympathetically, knowing exactly how much it hurt to lose a father right after being reunited. "You want a witch to stop your heart, so you can ask your dad if he wants to come back from the dead?" It wasn't a question, but a confirmation. They all knew the answer. Hope turned away sadly, leaving the two blondes to talk alone. Freya turned her head to Caroline, speaking softly and sounding sad. "You know the spell she's asking for is dangerous and you know there's no way to bring him back. Why are you encouraging this?"

Caroline scoffed. "Encouraging this? Freya, this whole thing was my idea. I'm the one who wanted to bring him back. Hope had the idea to talk to him and see if he even wants that, and I totally agree with her. This isn't me influencing her or her influencing me. We're partners. We're in this together."

Freya took a deep breath and stared at the ground for a moment. She really needed to have the concrete redone, she thought absently. Grass was growing in between many of the cement blocks making up the courtyard. Leaves covered the ground as autumn pulled them from the trees. Collecting herself, Freya continued. "That doesn't change things. Say the spell goes perfectly, what then? There's no way to bring him back, and you know that."

"No!" Caroline said passionately. "I do not KNOW that. Look at the world in which we live! How many people have you known that came back from wherever they went? How many times have your various brothers died? Kol? Finn? And Kol's wife, Davina? She and my friend Bonnie both died, like twice. Plus, other people I know, and people you know. There ARE ways, and just because I can't do it right now doesn't mean I never will. I'm immortal. I've got time."

"But Hope doesn't," Freya interrupted. "Hope doesn't. She's human…ish. She gets one life and that's it. Don't let her waste it chasing a fantasy, Caroline." The blonde glared at her. "And say you do find a way to bring him back… Just because you could doesn't mean you should."

"He's your brother, Freya!" Caroline shouted, feeling her adrenaline spike once more. "You, of all people, should be thanking me for trying to get him back. By your own admission, you searched for your family for a thousand years and all you got was a few lousy months out of the last decade. What kind of a big sister ARE you? Don't you WANT to see him reunited with his daughter? And me? Don't you want him to finally have some real happiness, like you and your family have? I saw the way you looked at your wife. It's the same way I look at him. Shouldn't you want to see someone look at your brother like you look at her?"

"Of course, I want that, Caroline!" Freya sighed, trying very hard to keep her own temper in check. "And yes, I did search for a thousand years. And yes, all I got was a few lousy months. And yes, that sucks, but it's more than I was ever meant to have. The Mikaelsons were born a millennium ago. We ALL should have died long, long ago."

"But you didn't!" Caroline stepped closer to her, jabbing her in the chest with each word she emphasized. "YOU still get to live. YOU still get to love. And YOU still get to raise a family. Why shouldn't he have the same chance? What makes you any different than him? Why do you deserve it and he doesn't?" she shouted, on the verge of hysteria once more, not paying attention to the redhead standing with her backs to their argument.

"It's not that I don't want to bring him back, Caroline. Believe me, I would LOVE to have him back. I want all FOUR of my dead brothers back: Finn, Henrik, Elijah AND Niklaus," she said sadly, holding up a finger for each one she loved and lost… Henrik before she even had the chance to meet him.

"Then why the hell won't you help us?" Caroline shouted, rolling her eyes and throwing up her hands in frustration.

Freya sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, gently shaking her head side to side. "Because this isn't just about me, Caroline! This is more than that. Way more than that. This is bigger than what I want or what you want or even what Hope wants! I would give anything to see her happy, but Vincent is right. This is about this city, the city Klaus and Elijah built! The city they loved. This is about an entire city that will rebel if he comes back. This is about New Orleans."

"I don't CARE about New Orleans!" Hope screamed, shocking both women as she spun to face them at last, eyes flashing as dark veins flickered beneath her eyes. She had heard enough. This was all just enough. She had endured enough. Had suffered enough. Caroline opened her mouth to speak, but Hope cut her off with her hand slicing through the fall air. "I mean it. This city is NOTHING to me without my dad!" The wind suddenly picked up as an expected cloud passed over the sun, casting a shadow on the compound. Hope's chest heaved as her heart raced, her hair blowing all around her. Freya looked on in horror, frozen, as she saw what her Aunt Dahlia once saw in her: a first born Mikaelson witch about to explode. She knew, without question, that Hope could bring the entire world to her knees with the sheer amount of power she held.

"I will BURN this CITY to the GROUND if I have to," leaves began to swirl, "and EVERYONE in it," several lightbulbs exploded, shooting sparks into the increasingly dark sky, "if that's what it TAKES," lightning flashed across the sky, highlighting the yellow in Hope's tribrid eyes as dark veins continued to appear, "to bring my dad BACK!" Thunder cracked as magic filled the air with static electricity. Hope was a ticking bomb the witch had no idea how to diffuse, and that knowledge terrified her. She raised her hands to cover her mouth as she stared in horror at magical fire erupting from the candles spread throughout the courtyard, their flames dancing ten feet tall in time with the gusting wind.

Caroline calmly stepped in between Hope and Freya and put her arms on the younger girl's shoulders. "Hope," she began softly, soothingly, but with an air of authority. "I need you to look at me. Right now, look at me." Slowly Hope turned her yellow eyes to Caroline's blue. "Good. That's good, Hope. It's ok. I'm here, right here, with you." Yellow was slowly replaced by blue while the wind continued to swirl, tiny leaves turning to ash as they blew through the enchanted flames. "I need you to breathe with me, just like we practiced." Caroline drew in a deep breath, nearly choking on the ash filling the air. "In, out, in, out." Slowly the flames began to recede. "Feel my hands on your shoulders. I'm here. You are not alone, Hope Mikaelson." Caroline gripped the sides of Hope's head, tangling her hands in her auburn curls, encouraging Hope to do the same. "Close your eyes with me," she whispered. The young girl slowly closed her eyes, but they shot back open a moment later and Caroline could see the conflict within the young girl as she fought the monster within. "It's ok. I'm right here with you. I've got you." Hope's eyes closed again, and her breathing finally began to slow, her chest no longer heaving. "Come on, Hope, you know what to do." The magic began to fade from the air, thunder and lightning becoming a memory. "Let me in, baby. Let me in." After a few more deep breaths, Hope rested her forehead against Caroline's, returning the embrace.

New Orleans disappeared around them in a swirling vortex of color as Caroline entered Hope's mind. Suddenly, Hope was seven years old again, holding the blonde's hand. They were on the dock in the bayou that Hayley always said was her favorite place in the whole world. The sun was shining bright and the air was pristine, not muggy at all. The earthy smell of nature filled their nostrils. The entire bayou was perfect. Caroline looked down at the little girl and smiled.

"I like it here, Caroline," she said sweetly, returning the smile.

"I know sweetheart, that's why I always bring you here," Caroline replied, turning them around to see the one thing that always made her smile.

"Sweetheart? That's my pet name, love. Get your own," Klaus quipped from the end of the dock. He flashed her his brightest smile, complete with his beautiful, beautiful dimples, his golden locks shining in the sunlight. Caroline beamed at him as Hope ripped her hand away. The bumbling little redhead ran screaming down the dock. She shouted his name over and over and over as she jumped right into her father's waiting arms, wrapping her gangly limbs around his neck and waist. "Easy, easy now. Slow down princess, you almost knocked me over! You've gotten so strong!" the hybrid laughed.

Hope pulled back and held up her arm to show him her muscles. "I've been working out," she said very seriously.

"I can tell," came a lilting voice from the shadows. Hope looked over as Hayley's radiant smile overwhelmed her daughter's little heart.

"Mom!" Hope shouted, throwing herself through the air to land in her mother's arms. Hayley laughed, and the sound echoed across the water, filling the swamp with a joy that lived only in their minds. Hope reached her arm out to pull Klaus in for a family hug. Suddenly remembering Caroline, she turned her head around as far as she could. "Come on, Caroline! You have to hug me, too!" the little girl shouted, pig tails swaying behind her. Caroline smiled and joined the group, slipping in between Klaus and Hayley, a perfect fit. Hope squeezed her arms around the three people who loved her the most, closing her eyes and finding comfort in their imaginary embrace.

Freya watched the two women wrapped in each other's arms as they breathed in unison, foreheads resting together, as the sky returned to its natural blue. The wind finally faded away, the women's hair falling flat at last. The connection between the vampire and the tribrid was deeper than anything the older witch had ever seen. She hadn't thought about it before, but she realized then that someone must have been helping Hope through her episodes while she was away at school. It was Caroline. While it brought her joy, it also made her profoundly sad. Caroline was the only parent Hope would ever have again. Freya sighed, knowing that they would have to find that out for themselves, resigning herself to what she had to do.

Hope slowly opened her eyes and stepped out of Caroline's embrace. She turned away and quietly wiped away the tears streaming down her face. The blonde had to do the same. Both sniffled for a few moments while they collected themselves. They both wanted so much for their imaginary safe place to be real, but knew it existed only in their imaginations. Caroline took Hope's hand in hers, ready to walk away from the oldest Mikaelson, and New Orleans, empty handed.

Freya's voice was soft and gentle, "Wait." Hope looked up at her aunt, squeezing Caroline's hand, praying that the words she needed so badly to hear were coming. Both women waited with bated breath as they watched Freya's internal struggle. She was a witch. It was her job to maintain the balance; it was her purpose. And yet, here was her niece, the only niece she would ever know, begging her to tip that delicate balance.

It was her duty to say no, but still she was conflicted. Hope had lost so much in her short life, too much, and she carried more grief than any child should ever have to bear. What if Hope HAD suffered too much? Wouldn't that in and of itself upset the balance? At what point did suffering become TOO much? What if her duty wasn't to stand in their way? What if Hope and Caroline's deep love for her brother was the way to restore the balance his death had skewed?

Freya ran her fingers through her hair and pulled her hands down her face, holding them in front of her as if in prayer. Slowly, she looked up at the two women and sighed. "I'm a first born Mikaelson witch, as are you, Hope. Our job, the reason we exist, is to maintain the balance of nature. Vincent is right that New Orleans will not be happy about my brother's return, and maybe it would bring about a rebellion, but maybe it wouldn't. It's true that he changed. And maybe Elijah was right and trading his life for yours WAS his redemption… but maybe it wasn't. Maybe there is no redemption for monsters like us." Freya stopped her speech, taking in another deep breath and dropping her hands to her side. "Maybe that's not for me to decide," she shrugged, feeling so lost. "Elizabeth Gilbert wrote, 'To lose balance sometimes for love IS part of living a balanced life.'"

Hope broke the silence and her whispered voice sounded so small and unsure that Freya felt her it deep within her own soul. "What are you saying, Aunt Freya?" the redhead asked, her grip tightening on Caroline's hand.

What was she saying? Was she really going to do this? Could she do this? She nodded; her mind made up by the desperation in Hope's voice. "I'll help you."

Caroline and Hope looked at each other and then back at the witch, both releasing breaths they hadn't realized they'd been holding. Hope's eyes welled with tears once again, but they were tears of gratitude and utter relief. She let go of Caroline's hand and wrapped her arms around her aunt. "Thank you, Aunt Freya."

Freya returned the embrace, kissing Hope on the head. She held her for a couple of minutes while Caroline looked on in silence. She knew what Klaus had done and who he was. She had let go of her naivety long ago, somewhere high in the mountains of Italy. She knew Klaus Mikaelson would always be Klaus Mikaelson to most of the world, a world that didn't want him to return any more than it had wanted him to exist in the first place. Hope may not have fully understood the ramifications of bringing him back, but she did. She, too, had warred within herself at the ethical dilemma of a lifetime. Freya looked up as Hope clung to her and met Caroline's eyes. Caroline mouthed a small, "Thank you." Freya nodded at her, knowing this meant as much to Caroline as it did to Hope. She did know the look she saw on Caroline's face when she talked about Klaus because she saw it every day in her marriage to Keelin, and her brother did deserve to love and be loved.

Freya let go of her niece and turned to walk up the stairs, beckoning them to follow. They followed along in silence. There were no words left. They'd said them all. All that remained was the spell that would bring Hope's temporary death. All of them knew the risks, knew she might not come back, knew she could be forever lost. It was a price they agreed to pay.

Freya led them into the living room, lighting the large fireplace with a quick incantation she'd said a thousand times before. The logs jumped to life as the crackling sound of burning logs filled the air, bringing with it the smell of smoke. Hope had done a lot of magic in this room. Freya had taught her most of what she knew about practical magic. Alaric insisted on teaching his students theory, so Freya decided the first summer the young redhead returned to the Quarter that a little bit of extracurricular activity was in order.

Unsure what to do, Caroline moved to take a seat in the far corner of the room. Hope handed her a large copper bowl and pointed to the bathroom just down the corridor. Knowing the routine, Hope moved the coffee table back against the couch. She rolled up the antique red oriental rug (that she was sure her father acquired with compulsion) and stood it in the corner. Beneath the rug there were wooden floorboards, and on the floorboards was a giant pentagram burned into the wood. Freya came behind her and set up five candles on the different points of the pentagram to represent the five elements: white for spirit, red for fire, yellow for air, blue for water and green for earth.

Hope spoke the small incantation to light the candles while Freya walked from the bookshelf with a miniature ancient pewter teapot held firmly between her hands. She leaned down and poured salt from the teapot around the circle, stopping when she reached the point where she began at the very top of the pentagram. Hope stepped into the circle with a mortar and pestle full of herbs and a sharp silver dagger with a red leather handle. Caroline returned with the copper bowl full of water, which Freya gently took from her. Freya stepped into the circle at the top point and knelt down on her knees, gesturing for Caroline to do the same at the next point.

Hope lay down in the circle with her head at Freya's knees, placing her hands and feet as close to the rest of the points as her limbs would allow. Freya caught her eye and took a deep breath, steadying herself. It was an emotional process for all three women. "Are you sure you want to do this, Hope?" Freya asked, holding her gaze. Hope firmly nodded her head. Freya ran her hands through her blonde hair again and took another deep breath. "I want you to prepare yourself for what you're going to see. I need you to understand that you may wish you didn't know what you're about to learn. There's a very real chance that you won't like what your father has to say."

Hope didn't hesitate. "I'm sure. I need to see him. I need to know if he wants to come back. If he does, I will not stop until he is here with us, no matter the price we have to pay. But, if he doesn't…" her voice trailed off sadly.

Caroline looked at Hope gently, giving her a sad but tender smile. "If he doesn't, at least we'll know he's at Peace, where he'll be waiting for us when it's our time," Caroline's smile faltered slightly as a single tear escaped from beneath her lashes. Hope nodded at her in agreement. They needed to know… one way or another.

Freya nodded at the two women in turn, straightening her back. "Alright. Best get on with it, then." Caroline smiled at the phrase Freya must have picked up from her little brother. "Caroline, I'm going to mix in your blood with ours, so Hope can use you as an anchor. It's safer than sending her in alone. If something goes wrong-"

"Nothing's going to go wrong, Aunt Freya," Hope interjected.

"But if it does," she began, giving Hope a pointed look, "Caroline will have a small window to reach in and pull you out before it's too late and I can't bring you back." Both women nodded to acknowledge that they understood. Freya took Hope's hand and sliced her palm open from top to bottom. She caught the dripping blood with the bowl of water. She repeated the process with Caroline, each time collecting as many drops as possible before their supernatural healing kicked in. She sliced her own palm open last, wincing at the pain. After adding as many drops as she had taken from each woman, Freya licked the tip of the dagger, the vampire blood instantly healing her. "Caroline, join hands with Hope, and no matter what happens, do NOT let go."

Caroline held Hope's bloody hand in hers and nodded, locking eyes with Hope. "I won't let go. I promise." Hope nodded her head in return before closing her eyes to prepare herself to die.

After the water was red with blood, Freya set the dagger down and ground the herbs with the mortar and pestle. Caroline wrinkled her nose at the smell. The others may have been used to the foul smell of potion ingredients, but she wasn't. Freya paid her no mind as she ground the mixture into a fine powder. She closed her eyes and began chanting as she poured the powder into the bloody water. The thick liquid began to boil, dark red bubbles rolling over the surface. Satisfied with the heat, Freya's words changed into something deeper, darker.

Freya went into a trance as the spell began to take effect. She held her hands over the mixture as the steam surrounded the trio, the incantation humming all around them. A dark red light began to rise snakelike from the bowl. It slithered into a ring above Hope's chest and hovered there, waiting to strike. Freya's incantation grew louder still, the words changing again as the sound echoed off the walls. The flames from the candles shot up several feet into the air.

With the sounds and smell overwhelming the room, Hope felt the world around her change. Freya opened her eyes and Caroline gasped as there was nothing but black behind the witch's lids. With a final chant, the red ring boomed down into Hope's chest. The tribrid screamed as her own eyes flew open, glowing a dark red. Caroline gripped her hand and held tight as Hope began to fade.

Then Hope was falling… falling… falling. Down and down and down, the air rippling with the sound of the screams no one could hear. She felt her body contort in ways it never should and it terrified her. She felt her heart thumping in her chest as loudly as a chorus of drums before it suddenly stopped… then there was pain. Pain so intense she forgot how to breath. Burning. Searing. Killing. Never ending and never beginning. She felt herself land on the hard ground and her vision went black, her eyes being forced closed by the magic she couldn't see.

Hope gasped and sat bolt upright, drawing in air with all her strength that remained. The pain was gone. She looked around the woods of the bayou. The air was still and chilly, the sky darkening as the sun began to set. It was beautiful. The remaining light cast shadows all around, shadows that danced to her delight. The cicadas chirped merrily all around. The world smelled of dirt, of nature, of earth. She knew this place. This was Peace. Her mother's Peace.

Hope smiled uncontrollably as she realized she made it through the barrier between worlds. She jumped up, knowing time was running out already. "Mom! Dad!" she shouted, flashing through the trees as fast as a tribrid could. "Where are you? I know you're here! It's me! It's Hope!" She turned her head from side to side as she ran, frantically looking for signs of life. Not paying attention, she slammed into someone and fell to the ground. She reached up to take the hand extended to her, looking up to see who she found. "Uncle Elijah?"

"Hope. How lovely of you to drop in," Elijah Mikaelson said, formal as ever, as he smiled cordially at her. He was wearing a suit. In the middle of the bayou. A suit. With a pocket handkerchief matching his tie. Of course, he was wearing a suit, the noble Elijah. He wouldn't be at Peace without one. Hope was dirty and covered in leaves as she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He picked her up and swung her back and forth, hugging back for all he was worth.

She pulled back to look at him. "You're here! You're ok! You made it! Oh my God. Oh my GOD! Where's mom? And where's dad? I have to find my dad. I don't have much time," she practically shouted, looking everywhere as she turned around and around.

Elijah extended his arm, crooked at the elbow. "Allow me," he offered. Hope linked her arm and his and then they were flashing through the trees, the wind whipping in her hair so fast it was blinding. However, it didn't last long. She knew exactly where they had landed. She'd seen this dock so many times in her dreams, not having been there since she was a child. It was exactly as she remembered: creaking and barely held together with mismatched wood scarred from years of use, the smell of fish seeped into the wood. "Excuse me a moment, Hope." Elijah opened the door to address the occupant. "Hayley, we have a visitor."

Hope could hear her mom's lilt before she made it outside. "A visitor? How the hell do we have a visitor? Who would be-" Hayley stopped midsentence when she stepped outside and saw her daughter's blue eyes staring at her in wonder. "Hope!" Hayley ran to the younger girl and wrapped her arms around her, spinning her around. She pulled back, holding Hope's arms in hers, beaming. Her smile quickly faded as reality sunk in. "Hope, why are you here? You're still so young. Did you…" she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

Hope vehemently shook her head, speaking rapidly. "No, no, no, I'm not dead. Well, not like forever dead. It's just a spell. I came here to talk to dad. Aunt Freya sent me," she began.

"Freya?" Hayley scoffed, enraged. "Freya did this? What the hell was she thinking?"

"I asked her, mom. I need to see dad, ok? I asked her," Hope explained, heart racing.

Something seemed to flash across Hayley's face, but it was gone before Hope could place the emotion. When her mother spoke again, her voice was gentle. "Hope, you need to go back while you still can. You don't belong here. It isn't your time, baby," her mother said, pushing a red tendril behind Hope's ear.

Hope brushed her mom's hand away, pulling out of her grip to turn around, shouting for her dead father. She listened, desperate to hear his British accent calling her "princess." She put her hands on her head, ripping at her hair. "Dad! DAD!" she screamed into the forest. "Dad! Dad!"

Hayley gulped and linked hands with Elijah as he moved beside her. How could she ever tell this to Hope? It wasn't time. Hope was supposed to grow up and grow old, live and love, age and die peacefully. She was supposed to have a lifetime of wisdom before she found out the truth. It wasn't supposed to happen like this… not like this. Never like this. She felt the weight of an iron hand squeezing at her heart, more painful than when it had been ripped out of her chest and burned in the sun. That was death. This was worse.

Hope's cries became more and more frantic. "Klaus! Niklaus! NIKLAUS MIKAELSON COME OUT! I'm here! Dad!" Her eyes were wild as she turned to face her mother ad uncle. Hayley closed her eyes for a moment, bracing herself for a moment worse than any she had ever endured while alive. "Mom, where is he? I'm here to talk to dad. I have to find him!"

Hayley reached out and touched her daughter's shoulder gently. "Hope…" she began, but Hope threw her mother's hand off her shoulder angrily.

Her anger began overwhelming her. She could feel the shells of her ears starting to burn. She flung her hands out at her side and gestured at them wildly, her voice a screech. "Why won't you help me? Why are you two just standing there? I have to find him! Do you know where he is? Is his Peace somewhere else? Is it like the Quarter?" Hayley and Elijah locked eyes again, the mother fighting so hard against her own emotions to be strong enough to tell her daughter what happened to her father. "HELP ME!" she screamed, her face inches from Hayley's haunted eyes, grabbing her arm.

"Hope, you need to hear what your mother has to say," Elijah interjected quietly, using his free hand to unclench Hope's fist from Hayley's jacket.

Realization dawning, Hope pulled back, shaking her head back and forth, her eyes wide and terrified. Shaking her head harder, she asked again, her voice cracking, "Mom, where IS he? Where's dad? DAD!" she screamed in vain.

Hayley sighed as she cupped her daughter's terrified face, wiping away a stray tear with her thumb. Her hazel eyes met Hope's blue and she took a deep breath, preparing herself to tell her only daughter the truth she never wanted her to know. "Honey, I'm so sorry, but…" she whispered, the words sticking in her throat.

"No. No! NO! No, don't "honey" me, mom. I don't want "but." I just want dad. DAD!" she screamed again, calling the father that couldn't hear. Hope ripped at her hair, strands breaking off in her hands as they fell from her messy bun. "No, mom, no. No. Don't say it. No, no, no. No, mom, no!" Hope sputtered out, tears rapidly falling down her face and dripping off her reddening nose, the truth clawing at her while her mind fought so hard against it, the pain in her chest consuming her. "Mom… No… Please…" she choked out between sobs. "Don't say it, mom… mom… mommy…" Hope broke down as her knees gave out beneath her, the air leaving her lungs in a whoosh as the fight left her body, the truth taking hold.

Hayley dropped to one knee and wrapped her arms around her hysterical daughter, Hope's tears instantly soaking into her jacket. Hope buried her face in her dead mother's chest as sobs racked her body. Hayley held her tightly and kissed her forehead, whispering the words that would break her baby's heart. "I'm so sorry, sweetie, but he isn't here. Elijah came alone. Your dad wasn't with him, Hope."

As soon as she heard the words, Hope felt the last bit of life leaving her body. She didn't care about living. She didn't want to go back to a world without her parents. At least if she stayed here, she could have her mother. She didn't want to go back to a life where she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Everyone expected so much from her.

Hope was so special. So unique. So rare. She was the only tribrid in history, the heir of Klaus Mikaelson, the most dangerous creature to ever walk the earth. And she was the daughter of Hayley Marshall, the legendary Alpha of the Crescent Pack. She was royalty. She was a princess. It was a lot to live up to, and she didn't want to do it anymore. Everyone always forgot that she was still only sixteen years old. She was expected to be better than where she came from while still honoring the parents that left her behind. She didn't want to BE left behind anymore. She was a little girl who wanted to cry in her mother's arms.

Still holding her daughter in her arms right there in the dirt as Elijah looked on, helpless, Hayley whispered to Hope, "You have to go back now, Hope. You have to go back."

Hope vehemently shook her head back and forth. "No, mom, not without you!" she choked out, each word a plea and each sob a prayer.

Hayley smoothed back her daughter's hair as she rocked her. "Yes, Hope, you do. You have so much life to live. You're not supposed to be here. Not yet."

Hope looked up at her mother with more sorrow than anyone could ever deserve. "I'm not supposed to be anywhere! I'm not supposed to BE! I was never meant to exist, mom. I don't WANT to exist anymore! I want to stay here with you. Please let me stay, mommy, please," she chanted the last word until the air left her lungs, burying her face once again.

"You were ALWAYS meant to be, Hope. I wanted you from the first moment I knew you were coming. Your dad and I loved you so much that we gave our lives for you," Hayley started.

"I never wanted that!" Hope cried. "I never ASKED for that! I'M the one that should be dead, not dad and definitely not YOU. If I go back, it could be centuries before I see you again, if I turn- "

Hayley held a finger to her daughter's lip, tugging her chin up gently so their gazes locked. "No, Hope. I want you to promise me something." Hope nodded her head. "I want you to promise me that you will NEVER turn; that you will live a long and beautiful life and die a human death that will one day bring you back to me." More tears leaked out of Hope's eyes, but she didn't respond. "Promise me, Hope. Promise me that and I promise you that one day we will be together again."

Hope nodded her head up and down frantically, desperate for her mother's promise to be true. "I promise." She buried her head in her mother's chest once more as grief again wracked through her body, the weight of that promise heavy the heart that wasn't beating. She felt herself giving into the misery and growing very tired. She wanted to close her eyes and never wake up, but something was pulling at her. Physically pulling at her. She could feel an invisible hand trying to grab her, but she couldn't figure out who could be reaching for her when she was just… so… tired.

Hayley looked down at her daughter's blotchy face. She knew what was happening. A mother always knows when it's time to say goodbye. "It's ok, honey. It's ok." She smiled down at her gently, her almond eyes drinking in one last look. "It's time to go back now. Someone wants you to come home. Someone who loves you like I do," Hayley said knowingly. Hope shook her head from side to side, but her mother calmed her, as mothers always do. "You don't have to be scared and you don't have to be sad. I'll be here waiting for you. Always and forever."

"Always and forever," the redhead agreed, kissing her fingers and holding them out to touch her mother's the same way they did when she was a little girl. The pulling became more insistent, ripping the air out of Hope's lungs, and she spoke no more. She wrapped her arms around her mother one last time as she felt a tugging sensation start at her neck and travel all the way down her spine. Her vision blurred once again, and her limbs contorted painfully. This time, she welcomed the pain, for it was far less than what else she was feeling. Her Aunt Freya was right: she wished she didn't know what she had learned.

Hope didn't even feel it when she arrived back in the land of the living. All she knew was that suddenly it was Caroline holding her as she screamed out loud when her breath returned. The blonde gently whispered, "Shhhh, shhh, baby it's okay. It's okay," knowing that whatever happened was anything but okay. She was a mother, and that's what mothers did; they made everything ok. While Caroline may not have been Hope's mother, she loved her all the same.

Freya sat and watched, heartbroken, at her niece lying broken on the floor. There was nothing she could do, nothing she could have done. She and Caroline locked gazes, the latter's eyes running with tears that dragged her mascara down her face in angry black streaks. Klaus didn't want to come back. That had to be what Hope learned. She had just said her final goodbye, a goodbye Caroline wouldn't get, and now she wasn't going to see her father again for a very, very long time. Caroline braced herself for the words she hadn't even let herself think, let alone say out loud.

Finally, Hope was able to speak the words out loud that Caroline wished she hadn't, the truth triggering her own bout of hysterics as a misery she had never known threatened to overwhelm her. Freya watched the women clutch each other while sobs overtook their small bodies. Silent tears streamed down her own face as she processed the news herself. The only sound between sobs was Hope repeating the same words over and over, like a mantra she wished she could forget. "He wasn't there. He wasn't there. He wasn't there."

Klaus Mikaelson was not at Peace.

* * *

A/N Don't hate me… it had to be done. I hope the legend of the Merge made sense. That took some time to figure out! And who else's heart just broke for Hope? I cried while I was writing that. My 10-year-old threatened to take my laptop! Oh, and I hope you've all enjoyed my somewhat-fluffy-but-dominating-sexy-Klaus, because dark!Klaus is coming… whether Caroline is ready to face him or not. Stay tuned!


	6. I Made Myself Believe

Chapter Five – I Made Myself Believe

The Void - 2027

Klaus Mikaelson was in Hell. He was sure of it. It certainly felt like Hell… and smelled like Hell. It smelled like death, if death had a smell. He sat against a stone wall made of frozen bricks caked in an eternity of grime. It was slippery in patches where mildew had taken hold. Filth surrounded him. As a vampire, he hadn't felt true cold in over a millennium. He felt it now. It was a visceral kind of cold that seeped past his skin and all the way into his bones. The world itself felt like a block of ice. If this was a world. Was it? He didn't know. Had he been sent to some far-off planet where all monsters go? Was his brother here somewhere? They were supposed to face this together. That was the plan.

Then again, when did anything ever go according to plan? He couldn't remember the last time it had. Actually, yes, he did. His plan to break his hybrid curse came to fruition, delayed by a mere 500 years. For a thousand years he had one goal: restore himself to what he was born to be. He was The Original Hybrid. At least, he had been… when he was alive. Or was he dead? He was undead. Here he was really dead.

Where was he? Where was here? Here it was dark. A single bulb hung from the ceiling. A dim bulb that was always flickering in the most annoying kind of way. Klaus hated that bulb. He had broken it many times, but every time he woke up, there it was. The entire building was that way. He could rage and destroy as much as he wanted to, and somedays he REALLY wanted to, but eventually he fell asleep. When he woke up, everything was the way it was before.

He was in a prison of some kind. An old one. He wasn't entirely sure a prison this old would even have lightbulbs. He had become convinced it wouldn't and that that cursed flickering bulb was there solely to annoy him. That's what this place was. The void, as he had taken to calling it. The void was annoying. And God, was it boring. There was nothing here except time and boredom. At least, nothing he wanted to deal with, unless he was in the mood.

The prison was tall, very tall. On the outside, it looked like a rook from a chess set: a castle that time forgot. There were no doors. He had looked. He had looked many times. Everyday he looked again. He climbed up stairs that led to never-ending floors of cells. One day he was sure he had found the bottom of the building, but when he opened the only door, he found himself back in this cell. His cell. The one he had decided was his favorite… or at least the cell he hated the least.

Klaus' chosen cell was somewhere in this prison castle that was his own personal Hell. It had a soiled mattress in his favorite corner beneath his favorite window. There were cold, slimy bars on the window, but no glass. There were no windowpanes here. Every window had unforgiving iron bars that no amount of hybrid strength could bend. He tried that, too. There was nothing outside that window. Literally nothing. Outside was frozen blackness that extended forever and ever. There were no stars, no moon, no anything: just darkness that had neither a beginning nor an end.

There was no end and no beginning because time carried no meaning in this cold, dark place. A day began when he woke up and ended when he fell asleep. There were no clocks, no tide to come in, no tide to go out, nor was there a sun or a moon to rise or fall. The constellations didn't change from winter to summer because there was no winter and there was no summer. There was no autumn. There was no spring. There was endless nothingness. An eternity of nothing but this endless place.

What there was plenty of were cells. He didn't know how many because everyday the number changed. He always woke up in a different one on a different floor. Somedays he couldn't even find the cell he hated the least. Other days he found it right away. Once he woke up there. Everyday he woke up in a different cell, but they all had that same flickering light bulb. It taunted him. Haunted him.

Most of the cells had at least something in them besides that haunting bulb. Some had a desk or a chair. The nice ones had a mattress with neither sheet nor pillow. Most had random human bones in them. He liked breaking the bones and turning them to dust. Some had buckets he suspected were meant to serve as toilets. Fortunately, he had no use for them, although they all smelled like someone once had. There was no blood. There was no food here. There was nothing to drink. No bourbon. No water. No blood. There was nothing to eat. No gourmet dishes. No beignets. No blood. No need for any of them because there was no hunger and there was no thirst.

The bloodlust that haunted him as a vampire was gone. He had no use for blood. He wasn't surviving on borrowed life because he was not alive. He was dead. He died. Klaus Mikaelson died. He died to save his only daughter. He would die again if given the same choice. He never regretted his decision. She had to live. She had to love. She had to grow up. She had to have a family. She had to grow old. After all that, she could die, and her children could live on. And their children. His grandchildren. His legacy. Hope was his legacy. She was the very best of him.

Hope was a part of him and God did he miss her. He missed her smile. He missed her laugh. He missed her spirit. And he would continue to miss her. Forever. He was not at Peace where he knew she would one day go, but not this day. He would never see her again, not today or any other day. Maybe there were no days where he was. Maybe it was all one long day. He didn't know. He didn't care. He existed. Somewhere. In this empty void. He didn't know. He didn't care. It hurt too much to care.

There was no humanity switch here. There was nothing to save him from unending pain. Somedays he gave himself more pain. He broke his bones, bit off his tongue, ripped off his fingers. It gave him something to do. He always woke up in once piece. He broke furniture into pieces to pass the time. He staked himself when he wanted the day to end and sleep eluded him. He always wanted to sleep. When he slept, he dreamed, and when he dreamed, he dreamt of her.

Caroline. His Caroline. The only one in his life who loved him because she chose to do so. She was not bound to him by blood. She was bound to him by something else, something bigger. Something he couldn't taste or touch, smell or feel. He couldn't see it, but he knew it was there. He knew he loved her, and she loved him. Maybe that was all he knew here in this empty place. The only thing that had any meaning, Caroline.

Klaus missed her. He missed everything about her. He missed her smell, her voice, her laughter, her tears, her passion, her likes, her dislikes, her touch. He would give anything to touch Caroline one last time. He kissed her goodbye in that bar and watched her walk away, even though he knew her heart ached for one last look. She said she would never forget him, and he knew that was true. He would never forget her. He changed her. She changed him. Her love changed him. Saved him. Made him the man he became: the man brave enough to die for his daughter. The man brave enough to say goodbye.

That brave man said goodbye to all who he had loved because Caroline asked him to. He would have done anything Caroline asked him to, and so he said goodbye. He said goodbye and then he died. He died and his body burned to ash, along with Elijah's. He hoped Elijah had found Peace. He hoped he was with Hayley, the love of his brother's life and the mother of his daughter. His little wolf. She died to save their daughter, too. He was glad he knew for sure that she was at Peace, where their daughter would one day go. He loved her too much to want her to come here.

Nobody should have to be here, and yet here he was, wherever here was. He awoke after his death covered in ash. He awoke in this place. This void. This place with the filth and the grime and the cells littered with bones and buckets and furniture that never stayed broken. He was here, sitting against the wall of his cell. One knee was bent, and his arm was draped over it, his other leg stretched out in front of him on his dirty mattress in his forgotten corner. His head lay against the wall as he closed his eyes and did nothing.

"Thinking deep thoughts again? It doesn't make you any less dead, you know," a high pitch voice taunted him from the entrance to his cell. It was her. The Hollow. She was here. Of course, she was here. This was his own personal Hell. It wouldn't be Hell without her. He died with her inside of him. They were stuck together, here in this nothingness. She was nothing. He was nothing. Everything was nothing.

Klaus growled deep in his throat as his fists clenched. "I thought I killed you," he snarled.

"You did. You ripped my heart out this time. Didn't help," she said in her high-pitched voice as she smiled her dead smile that he didn't open his eyes to see. He knew what she looked like. He knew what her blood looked like dripping off his fingertips. He knew what her eyes looked like plucked from her head. He knew what her detached head looked like bouncing down the spiral stairs. He knew what her heart looked like as the crushed flesh slithered between his fingers. He knew what her intestines looked like spread out across the hallway. He knew what her teeth looked like scattered about the cell. He knew what her blood looked like painted in pictures of Caroline and Hope smiling at him on the wall.

Klaus killed her as often as possible. His favorite thing was to kill her. He loved killing her. He lived for killing her, here in this place where he lived for nothing. He killed her over and over and over ad infinitum and yet she was still here. Every time he woke up, she was here yet again, mocking him in his death. She did not have magic here that could protect her from his wrath, but still she came. Her only magic was in his mind, and she loved to torture him there. When she did, she showed him all he had lost.

The Hollow gave him glimpses of the life he left behind. Glimpses of the love he left behind. She sent him to a place in between here and there. Everything was tainted in sepia. There were no smells. He could feel nothing. Touch nothing. Touch no one. No one could touch him. No one could see him. No one could hear him. He wasn't there and he wasn't here. He was trapped in the middle.

While he was trapped in the middle, she made him see. She made him see Hope and she made him see Caroline. Her little joke was that she only let him see their pain, their misery, their despair. He saw no smiles and he heard no laughter. He saw Hope waking up from nightmares, screaming. He saw Caroline crying alone in the graveyard where her students couldn't go. She always went to the same place and sat under the same tree and cried the same tears.

He saw them in New Orleans. He saw Hope's breakdown as her anger swirled around her in the wind he could not feel. He watched as her body convulsed in pain he could not stop. He watched as she learned the truth about where he went. He watched her tell Caroline. He watched Caroline break down. He watched and he saw, and he knew their pain. He knew he caused that pain. He knew he could never take away that pain.

With his eyes still closed and his head against the filthy wall, he spoke to the girl who stole everything. That's all she was: a little girl. A little girl he tore apart again and again and again to pass the time in this place where there was no time. "Go away Inadu. I'm not in the mood."

"I'd prefer it if you called me The Hollow," she sang in her sing-song voice, the voice that annoyed him above all else in this place.

"I'd prefer if you hadn't killed me," he said with no emotion. It was a statement and nothing more.

"Well, in all fairness you did return the favor," she snarked. She walked into his cell and sat on the desk he never needed; her legs too short to touch the stone floor.

"And yet you are here," he said, sighing.

"I'll always be here," she taunted.

"Then I'll just keep killing you again and again and again. You should run along before my mood changes and you lie dismembered on this filthy floor for the rest of the day," he said very matter-of-fact, his eyes never opening. Their conversation was as casual as if they were discussing the weather that didn't exist here.

Inadu laughed in her cold demented laugh that chilled him more than the stone bricks against his back. "How can I be dead for the rest of the day when there are no days?" Klaus opened one eye to glare at her and she smiled, satisfied that she was getting to him. "It doesn't matter what they do or how hard they try. They will never find us because there is no place to find us. Your daughter will spend the rest of her life chasing a ghost that exists nowhere. And Caroline, she'll-"

But he knew found out what Caroline would do because at that moment Klaus lunged forward and crushed her skull with a nearby femur. Then he crushed her chest. Then he crushed her knees, and her hands, then her face, then her arms, until nothing was left but a pile of yet another dead little girl in this place where death never dies. Klaus sat back down against the wall and closed his eyes. He smirked, knowing what she would never understand: Love will always find a way. His girls would find a way.

One day, there would be a someday. And on that day, Klaus Mikaelson was going home.


	7. Break My Foolish Heart

A/N Hey readers! Oh my gosh we have so many people reading this! Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to review. It seriously makes my day! Fair warning: there is very graphic violence in this chapter followed by massive smut in both sections.

Chapter Six – Break My Foolish Heart

Dolomite Mountain Range, Italy – 2021

Caroline came to shortly after the chanting stopped and the first thing she noticed was blood saturating the air. Her head was still heavy as she struggled to force her eyes open. The next thing she noticed were the screams. Gut wrenching screams. She could hear heavy thumps and growling. It was a feral growling that could only have come from some massive animal. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw that it WAS an animal: The Original Hybrid.

Klaus, if he could still be named as such, was ripping into the neck of a petite witch. Her screams were unlike any she had ever heard. Caroline almost never drank from the vein, but she had been around long enough to know that Klaus wasn't just feeding, he was intentionally torturing her. She looked down and saw his hand crushing her fingers one by one. She looked around and there were bodies lying all around.

At least, there were pieces of what had once been bodies. There was the severed head of a male witch a few feet from where she pushed herself up onto her feet, legs still a bit shaky. The head stared at her with dead, bulging eyes. Klaus had obviously squeezed his head when removing it with such force that the man's eyeballs popped out of their sockets. There were a couple of witches that were gravely injured but not yet dead attempting to crawl away.

Caroline stared inn horror as Klaus dropped the now very dead young girl on the ground and flashed over to his next victim. He grabbed an older witch by the throat and thrust his hand into her chest, squeezing her heart and drawing out a blood curdling scream as thick, steaming red liquid poured out of her mouth. Klaus' eyes were glowing with yellow rage, the veins beneath his eyes pulsing black, and he appeared more animal than man. And in that moment, he was. She shouted at him, "Stop it!" but her words fell on deaf ears.

Once the witch's screams began to fade, Klaus ripped out her heart and threw it aside as he launched her remains into a nearby tree so hard that it left a bloody imprint on what was left of the bark, the tree's roots peeking up from the rough terrain. Caroline again screamed at him to stop, but he continued his rampage. The hybrid turned around and sped to a male witch crawling his way out of the clearing. Klaus effortlessly picked him up by the scruff of his neck and ripped off his arms like a child pulling butterfly wings. As the man attempted to scream, Klaus dislocated his jaw to forcefully rip his tongue out of his throat.

Caroline watched in horror at the destruction all around. "Klaus, that's enough!" she screamed, flashing to him. She ripped his free arm away from the man and his tongue fell from Klaus' hand to the mountainous grounds now slippery with gore. He turned to her, the man still dangling off the ground as Klaus choked him, and she had no idea who he was. His face was drenched in blood as he bared his double fangs at her and growled. She took a step back, covering her mouth as terror overwhelmed her.

As the blonde vampire stared at the monster before her, she missed two witches on either side of her raise their hands from the forest floor. They were obviously injured, possibly with broken legs. As a result, their magic wasn't as strong as it needed to be to knock out a full-strength vampire. Caroline ripped at her hair as the pain filled her. A low growl emitted from her own throat as her eyes turned bright, glowing red, dark veins spreading beneath them.

Unlike Klaus, when Caroline was forced to kill, she was merciful. She flashed to the first and ripped his heart out before doing the same to the next. Blood spattered her face and coated her arms all the way from hand to elbow. She returned her gaze to Klaus as he held the last remaining witch by the throat against a giant tree. The man's screaming had long since stopped but that did NOT stop the hybrid from ripping out his organs one by one.

In the blink of an eye, Caroline was at his side. Kicking away a liver, she shook him over and over, screaming in his ear, "Klaus, that's enough! He's dead! Stop it! Enough!" However, Klaus wasn't there. Caroline beat her fists against his chest, trying desperately to get his attention. Finally, she ripped the man away from Klaus and neatly removed his heart with one hand and at the same time with the other shoving the hybrid with all her strength. He flew threw the air and crashed midway up the trunk of a giant tree.

Caroline roared, "I SAID ENOUGH!" Klaus jumped up, but Caroline was already in front of him before he could find another corpse to torture. "Klaus, they're dead!" She shoved against his chest again, pushing him away from her. "They're all dead! It's over! You killed ALL of them!" she shrieked, clenching her fists by her side. Finally, he stopped, recognition staring to flood through him as he processed the image of a blood-soaked Caroline shaking before him.

Both of their chests heaved for long moments while Klaus' double fangs slowly retreated into his gums, eyes returning to their cerulean blue as the black veins faded. Caroline watched as he physically and emotionally morphed back into the man she knew. The glassy look in his eyes began to fade the more he returned. Caroline could hear his dead heart pumping furiously in his chest. Her own breathing calmed long, long before his.

Caroline slowly put her hands up in front of her as she stepped towards him. "It's over, Klaus," she whispered, moving closer. "It's over," she repeated softly over and over as she approached. She always knew Klaus would never hurt her… but after that, she wasn't as convinced The Original Hybrid would be able to stop himself. "It's ok, babe. It's ok," she said, her voice calming his racing heart. When she finally put her hands on his chest, she saw the last of the monster recede, returning to her the man she loved.

Klaus looked around at the utter devastation and realized what he had done… in front of Caroline. He was obscenely fond of massacres… but he had never let Caroline see that side of him. He stood stone still as she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest, still shushing him gently. His expression fell to blankness as he pulled her arms away and turned his back on her. Without saying a word, he continued up the mountain. Caroline had to race to keep up with his long strides.

"Hey!" she shouted, standing in front of him so quickly that he walked right into her hands as she held them up to stop him. He refused to make eye contact with her and carefully pushed her aside to continue walking. She stood there gaping at him in indignation as he continued forward. She repeated herself and he did the same thing yet again. Finally, she flashed in front of him and screamed. "HEY! I'm TALKING to you here!" Klaus turned his head to the side, dodging her eyes, once again moving up the trail. "KLAUS MIKAELSON YOU TURN AROUND AND TALK TO ME RIGHT FUCKING NOW!" she roared.

Finally, Klaus turned to her and the look on his face was broken as shattered glass. He shrugged his arms dramatically. "What do you want me to say, Caroline?" he said as his voice cracked. She stood staring at him, hands on hips, clearly waiting for him to start making sense. "I'm sorry you had to see that, and I wish to God you hadn't," he choked out. She looked at him like he must be kidding. He sighed, running hands through his hair. "Let's just get you whatever answers are available and when we get back to the hotel, we can go our separate ways." He turned his back on her and moved forward, a familiar black pit filling his stomach.

"Ex-fucking-cuse me!?" she shouted, rushing in front of him. She pushed him back a step. "No. Absolutely not. You do NOT get to do this to me right now!"

"Do what, Caroline? Let you be free of the monster you finally know me to be?!" Caroline stared daggers at him. "I never wanted you to know about that part of me because I know you can't handle it. And you shouldn't have to. No one should." He started to walk again, exhaling through his nose loudly.

Caroline cut him off again. "What the HELL do you mean I 'can't handle it?'" she asked furiously as she made finger quotes. "Do you think I didn't know what kind of man you can be? That I'm just completely clueless as to what you're capable of? No, I haven't seen you mid-massacre, and yeah, that was seriously, seriously scary and I wish I hadn't seen it either! But you know what? LIFE is scary! Do you think I'm just some dumb blonde with no idea what goes bump in the night? That I don't know about the darkest parts of being a vampire? I do! I killed a man the first day I turned! I was alone and had no idea what was happening to me, but my GUT instinct was to feed and kill so I could live on borrowed life. And yes, I hate that I did that, but I know that isn't all there is to me! And I know this," she gestured behind them to the remains of the day, "is not all there is to YOU! I know there is more to a man than-"

"But I'm NOT a man!" he growled. "I'm a monster! And you…" he paused, rolling his eyes and gulping as pain threatened to overwhelm him. What didn't she understand? "YOU may be more than this," he waved his hand in a sweeping motion at the scene behind them, "but I'm not! You are strong and beautiful and full of light. And-" He never got to finish his sentence because Caroline cut him off.

She rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. "Seriously, Klaus? Can you just knock it off with this whole emo "nobody loves me" bullshit?" she said, making finger quotes again. She got right in his face and poked him in the chest. "You made me a promise and you do NOT get to break it now just because you're afraid that I might-"

"I'm not afraid OF you! I'm afraid FOR you!" he shouted, spinning around as he backed up. He furiously ran his fingers through his hair as he continued. "I'm afraid of everything I KNOW I will take from you! I'll take your light and your innocence and-"

"What innocence, Klaus?! This isn't my first fight! And guess what?! I'm covered in blood, too!" She held up her arms as they still dripped in blood and waved them in front of his face. "And no, I don't relish the kill the way you CLEARLY do. And no, I never will because that's not the woman I am. And maybe that IS a part of you, but that's not ALL there is to you!"

"Yes, it is!" he shouted, pushing her back lightly to get her to stop her from shoving him again. Caroline looked at him, eyes filled with rage as he ranted. "Caroline, you are young and naïve and have no idea what I'm capable of!"

"Any naiveite I had LEFT just DIED on this mountain! And now that it has, I know EXACTLY what you're capable of AND I'M STILL HERE!" she screamed, nose to nose. "You promised to be my last love and Goddamnit you are NOT weaseling your way out of it just because you're scared!" This time she shoved him so hard he flew against a tree.

Klaus' eyes flashed yellow as he shot forward, growling as he barely contained his raging emotions. Why didn't she SEE? What was WRONG with her? Didn't she UNDERSTAND? Why wasn't she taking his way OUT? "Why won't you LEAVE!?" he bellowed, eyes yellow. "I'm offering you your FREEDOM! You should RUN while you still CAN! There is no MAN here, Caroline! There is only this!" He allowed his fangs to drop as he stared her down, trying so hard to do the right thing. He loved her… more than he had ever loved any woman in all his years… but she didn't deserve… this. This monster. This thing. This creature. "You deserve someone ELSE-"

Caroline held her ground, pressing her forehead against his as their chests rubbed together, both screaming loud enough to bring an avalanche down upon them had it been winter. She knew what he was trying to do, and she was NOT having it. She was not some stupid little girl. She knew who he was. She had ALWAYS known and maybe he COULD scare New Orleans, his siblings, Mystic Falls. Hell, maybe he could scare the entire WORLD, but he could not scare CAROLINE FORBES.

"WELL I DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!"

Klaus pulled away from her as though he had been burned. His eyes faded to blue and his fangs receded, leaving behind the man Caroline Forbes just admitted she loved. He looked at her in shock, his mouth falling open even though he had no words. What COULD he say? What did SHE say? Did he, in all his rage, hallucinate those three words that changed EVERYTHING? Was SHE the one hallucinating? After what she SAW? After what he'd DONE?! Did she…? Really…? Was it even…? Possible…? Could she…? Love…? HIM?

Caroline stared at him, equally as shocked by her outburst. She was shocked that she had said it, but not that she felt it. She had loved him for a long time. She first knew she loved him when he saved her from his own hybrid bite. That was the day she saw him: the REAL him. Loving Klaus Mikaelson meant loving them both: the monster and the man… and she loved ALL of him. She loved him with every breath, with every heartbeat, with every smile, with every frown, with everything she ever was, everything she had ever been, and everything she would ever be.

They both stood there, surrounded by trees high in the Dolomites, covered in blood. The silence was palpable as they processed what had just happened. Caroline Forbes loved Klaus Mikaelson. She was IN love with him. He was the love of her life, and their love was EPIC. She was the first one to move. He was still as she slowly stepped closer to him. She put one blood-soaked hand on each of his blood-soaked cheeks and looked past his eyes and all the way down to his soul as she repeated the words she meant so much.

When she spoke, it was barely a whisper. "I love you, Klaus Mikaelson. I love you." She leaned in and kissed his lips where they still lay open in disbelief. Was this really happening? To him? Could it be? "I love you," she repeated, kissing his cheek and smearing her lips with blood. "I love you." She kissed his forehead. "I love you." She kissed his other cheek. "I love you." She kissed his nose. "I love you." She continued kissing him and repeating the words until he slowly came back to her. He would always come back to her and there was no force in Heaven or Hell that could ever keep them apart. When he did, he lifted a hand off his cheek and intertwined their fingers. He looked down at her as they finally made eye contact. His eyebrows lifted as her words sunk in, his expression questioning the reality of the moment. She looked at him and nodded her confirmation, a gentle smile on her face. "I love you."

"You-" he started, but couldn't bring himself to say the words, just in case he WAS hallucinating.

"Love you," she nodded, caressing his cheek with her thumb. He finally came out of his reverie as his face relaxed, all tension long forgotten. When he looked at her, it was like a long-awaited dream finally came to fruition… because it did. She loved him. He kept his promise at last. He was her love and she was his and neither would ever have another because their love was eternal. Finally. They locked eyes and the whole world disappeared, the two of them all that remained. "Well, are you going to say it back or are you going to just stand there staring at me all day?" she laughed.

"Caroline, I," his words paused as his face lit up with a joy he had never known, his heart flying out of his chest. She looked at him dramatically, her expression clearly conveying that she was impatient waiting on him to say the words SHE needed to hear. She loved him, but did he love her back? He held her by her shoulders as he spoke from the heart. "I love you, Caroline Forbes," he finally replied as energy surged through him like wildfire. "I love you."

Caroline rolled her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well it's about time we said it, you idiot," she laughed. She pulled back and beamed at him as their foreheads touched. He let out a nervous, disbelieving laugh as a smile lit up his face, his eyes sparkling in the fading light as the sun began to set over the mountains.

When they kissed, that was epic, too. Electricity spread through them as their tongues intertwined, dancing like two lovers in the night, because they WERE two lovers in the night. They were in love. Klaus and Caroline were IN LOVE. Their bodies moved together as they each tugged at each other's hair, blood drenching their fingers as red met blonde. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered except each other and the love surging through their blood. The bodies didn't matter. The legend didn't matter. The entire WORLD didn't matter.

Caroline violently ripped open Klaus' blood-soaked Henley and cast it aside. He tore off her jacket, little red dots splattering the ground as it flew through the air. In her haste to put skin on skin, she tore off her own shirt and ripped off her bra. She dragged her hands through his hair trying to bring them even closer. He flashed them against the nearest tree with such force that it cracked in half, the top tumbling to the forest floor as he flashed them away just in time. He held her against another tree, this one only breaking but not falling at their collision, and attacked her neck. He bit her over and over, tasting the blood of the dead witches with every caress of his hot tongue swirling away the pain of the bite.

Klaus moved his hands to pull hers out of his hair and pin her arms above her head against the broken bloody bark. The next thing he knew, he was gasping in pain as his own blood streamed down his back. Caroline had flashed them into a giant boulder so hard that it cracked right down the middle, shards of stone digging into him. She pulled back and panted, "Not this time, babe." She ripped at his hair to bring him up to her mouth. She dominated their kiss, shoving her tongue as far down his throat as she could. "I'm in love with you, Klaus, and I need you inside me right fucking now!" Klaus nodded his approval, furiously moving his head up and down. She attacked his face once again as her hands clawed at his leather belt, whooshing it off as quickly as possible.

In the next moment, they were on the ground in the dirt. Klaus kissed his way down her body, blood smearing all over her porcelain flesh. When he got to her jeans, he ripped off the button and zipper with one swift tug, immediately pulling them off her legs, her boots flying in the opposite direction. Just as he shredded her lacy panties, she was on top again, pulling his pulsing cock out of his jeans, not even bothering to remove them in her haste to feel him inside of her.

Caroline crashed down onto him in one swift move, groaning out loud as she finally felt them completely together in the way they were always meant to connect. She supported herself with her hands on his chest as she bounced up and down on his cock. He used one hand to pinch her nipples over and over while his other thumb found her clit and furiously rubbed it. He wasn't playing tonight. He wanted her to come as many times as physically possible, and he wanted to feel it every single time as her walls shattered around his cock.

Klaus watched in awe as her first orgasm overtook her. She moved at vamp speed up and down as she screamed into the night air. It was almost more than he could take. He threw his head back and groaned as she squeezed him tighter and tighter. She looked down at him, breasts heaving as he played with them. "More," she breathed out. He nodded his head again and flipped them over, immediately thrusting deep and hard as she moaned beneath him. He pressed their chests together as he kissed her, each thrust drawing a tiny moan from her mouth into his.

Klaus pulled her legs around him so he could penetrate her as deeply as possible. He hit her hard right where he knew she needed it to fall off the edge again. He pulled back and their foreheads touched as he watched her come undone. Caroline's face lit with ecstasy was the best sight he had seen in a thousand years. She was perfection and she was his. "KLAUS! Oh my GOD!" she screamed. "I love you so much! Harder!" He obliged, pinching her clit, watching her eyes roll back as her third orgasm crashed all around him. She had never felt passion the way she did with him. She'd had plenty of fireworks in her sex life before, but with Klaus it was an atomic bomb.

He pulled up from their kiss to look her straight in the eye. "I love you more," he growled, his voice hoarse with need. Then his mouth crashed back down onto hers. He pumped furiously, his own passion taking over. She felt his cock spasm deep inside of her as he spilled his seed right where she wanted it. They both lay panting for a moment before making eye contact, his eyes flashing yellow as hers flashed red. This wasn't over. Caroline flashed them up against another tree, her mouth attacking Klaus' neck as she used her human teeth to bite him over and over as he recharged. He dug his claws down her blood streaked thighs, ripping them as he went, her groan filling the mountain air.

"More," she panted into his kiss. The next flash had Klaus' face buried between her legs, his tongue pumping in and out of her at supernatural speed in a punishing rhythm. She wound her hands in his hair to pull him in closer as she threw her head back, digging a hole into the ground with the back of her skull. Her back arched, her nipples hard as her breasts heaved. He thrust two fingers inside of her, hooking them upwards as his tongue swirled around her clit. He pumped hard and fast as he swallowed her next orgasm while she screamed his name.

He crawled up her body, dragging his teeth along her skin, both of them completely soaked in blood and sweat and caked on dirt. None of that mattered. He looked down at her, eyes wild. "More?" he asked between heaving breaths.

Caroline nodded her head, pulling him down to her. "More… always and forever… more." He wrapped his arms around her as he thrust back into her. He devoured her mouth before moving down to her neck and throat. He pumped into her hard and deep, building her up again faster than she had thought possible. He wanted her to absolutely fall apart for him, the way he did for her. "Klaus!" she shrieked as another orgasm ripped her apart. They always had great sex, but this was beyond the beyond. It was primal. It was need personified. It was them.

Caroline flashed on top of him, curling into his chest as she moved up and down on his cock. He buried his head in her hair and inhaled deeply, the bloody mix of Caroline and death filling his nostrils. As she rode him, he grabbed hold of a tree root for support but accidentally ripped it from the ground as he threw his head back into the dirt. She began to whimper in his arms as her whole body trembled. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck.

"Klaus…" she panted. "More… I need more!" She pulled up to look down at him as she attacked his neck with kisses and bites, drawing blood. Klaus thrust even harder from beneath her. "Klaus… I need you…" He looked at her and frantically nodded as her whimpers turned to moans. Suddenly, she looked down into his eyes. "Klaus… oh my GOD… I need ALL of you!" she panted. She moved closer to him and tilted her head to offer him her neck. He didn't hesitate as he ripped into her, drinking deeply as she began to fall apart. He positioned her face over his own neck, and she tore into him as well. With his cock and his fangs buried deep inside of her, she was lost. She screamed into his neck as pleasure overtook her completely. With a few final thrusts, he spilled inside of her as her blood flowed down his throat.

Exhausted and elated at the same time, Klaus let his head fall to the forest floor, Caroline's blood flowing down his chin and onto his neck. Caroline lay on his chest and rested her head over his racing heart. There were no words. They didn't need them. They'd said them all. The three words they both felt so much surrounded them as they lay in each other's arms in the middle of the Dolomites.

The moon was overhead before either of them had any strength to move… or any desire to move. Their bodies fit together so perfectly that it was difficult to finally pry themselves apart. Neither of them ever wanted to let go. Caroline was the first to stand, climbing up from his chest. He propped himself up on his elbows as he took in the sight before him. Under the moonlight was the love of his life: Caroline. She was naked and every inch of her was covered in blood and dirt and him. His scent surrounded her as his semen leaked down her thighs where he marked her as his. Her nipples were hard in the cold night air and her hair was wild with leaves and twigs jutting out at every angle. It was the most beautiful he had ever seen her, and he vowed to immortalize the sight in paint as soon as he possibly could. She was radiant… and she was his. Always and forever, she was his.

Finally, he stood up and surveyed his own body, which was also caked in death and dirt, the blue of his jeans turned black with bloody mud. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her to him as he grazed his bloody knuckles down her mud streaked face. "I love you," he whispered.

Caroline smiled up at him and kissed him softly on the lips. "I love you, too." When she smiled, the whole mountain lit up as utter joy spread between them. He leaned down and kissed her again. No amount of Caroline's kisses would ever be enough. She curled her arms between them and rested them and her head against his chest. They stood there bathed in moonlight as he gently caressed her muddy back up and down, love pouring out into every touch.

Kissing the top of her head, he sighed. As much as he wanted to stay in that moment forever, they had just slaughtered an entire coven and should probably linger no longer than they already had. They both looked around at most of their clothes torn apart on the ground. Klaus had his boots, jeans and necklaces and that was enough for him.

Caroline stood naked, hands on hips, contemplating her next move. They both looked to the bodies at the same time. Klaus looked at her with a questioning eyebrow. She shook her head back and forth. "No way, I am NOT wearing dead witch clothes." Klaus gave her a lecherous smile. She could stay the way she was forever for all he cared. "I'm not hiking naked, either. Sorry babe," she teased with a wink, reading his thoughts. She pulled on her jeans and found her boots before surveying the remaining clothes around them. She settled on his Henley and slipped the remains on. Perhaps it had once been olive drab green, but now it was so stained with blood and muck that it was hard to tell. She tied the two torn ends together, the knot falling just below her breasts. Her breasts were barely covered and her lower back and belly not at all, but it would have to do. She looked at him and shrugged. "Good enough. Let's go," she told him, handing the backpack to him.

Klaus took her hand, staring down at her chest at every opportunity. He needed her again and soon. She smiled over at him and wiggled her eyebrows when she caught him staring. The feeling was mutual. She already ached for him to be back inside of her where he belonged. They finally came upon a little village time forgot that could have only been for the witches they just slaughtered. For the first time, Klaus felt like they may actually find what they were looking for.

It was tempting to go in to one of the now vacant homes and search for showers and clothing, but neither of them suggested it. It was better to get this over with. The rest could come later. They hiked deeper into the forest, the trees becoming denser the further north they walked. Finally, Klaus held an arm in front of Caroline's chest to halt her movements. "I think we're here, love."

Caroline looked before them. There, hidden in the Italian Alps, was a patch of land that could only have been cursed. Nothing else would cause the utter blackness covering the ground. The earth itself was dead and would never live again. It was ground marked by a massacre so severe the damage could never be undone. This was where it all began. The curse of the Gemini. Caroline could feel it in her bones. They moved forward into the misshapen clearing and immediately felt magic all around them. It felt ancient… and angry. Their undead skin tingled under the mysterious force. Klaus squeezed her hand and nodded his head once along with her. It was time.

As they walked to the center of the oddly shaped clearing, Caroline took the bag from Klaus and pulled the small green sphere from the side pocket. As soon as she touched it, the world exploded all around them, the backpack disappearing into the night as Caroline gripped the orb with all her strength. Klaus was catapulted out of the cursed grounds by an unseen force. He landed against a giant tree trunk and fell, breaking both of his legs. They began to mend themselves back together quickly, but not fast enough to stop what was happening before his eyes.

Caroline fell to her knees, screaming. The sphere lit up from the inside with a blazing white heat that scalded her hands with such agony that it made her think back fondly on vervain torture. This was more than anything she'd ever felt, yet her hand didn't fade to ash nor could she let go of the raging orb. Howling wind swirled all around, dead leaves and twigs and small rocks flying in every direction around the clearing.

Klaus' legs finally healed enough for him to throw himself into the maelstrom. He had one thought: get to Caroline. A rock hit him in the face, breaking his jaw, and yet he did not stop. He fought his way through several feet of destruction as rocks broke his bones and fallen branches impaled him. He didn't care. He had to get to her, and no pain would stop him. He finally made it to the edge of the storm. As soon as he held a boot over the blackness he was thrown back again by that same force. He screamed her name as he made his way back only to be rejected once again. Whatever it was would not let him enter the cursed ground. There were only a few inches between the edge of the storm and the line he could not cross, but it was enough for him to see what was happening.

The clearing exploded with light from the orb. Energy poured upwards from Caroline's palm as something flew into the air. The light faded quickly and left just enough light to see a shape materializing midair. The pain receded from her hand, but the moss agate ball remained firmly attached to her palm. She struggled to get to her feet, but found she was steady once she was standing. Looking up, she saw a ghostly form staring down at her.

Floating in midair was a beautiful translucent woman clothed in a centuries old dress. She couldn't have been much older than Klaus when he died. She had long black hair falling down to her waist, tendrils flying in the swirling air. Her eyes were bright blue and so piercing that they glowed under the night sky. She crossed her arms over her chest and sat with crossed legs about ten feet above the blonde vampire, centered in the low light shining from her palm. Caroline's heart was racing with terror. The woman stared daggers at Klaus and he fell to his knees, but dug his claws in the ground to keep from falling back into the raging winds. Caroline's eyes widened. She was petrified, but when the woman smiled at her it was so genuine that it calmed her at once. When the woman spoke, it was with a heavy accent from long ago, her soft and warm tone surprising the hybrid as he watched helplessly from the sidelines.

"Hello Caroline. My name is Jorlena. I understand you wish to speak with me about my coven."

Somewhere in Louisiana – 2029

Hope Mikaelson was sitting in the corner where she lay unconscious as her mother made her final sacrifice. No one had entered this godforsaken place since that day. Hope often thought about burning it down and salting the earth so no life could grow. The walls smelled of mold and mildew. Everything was covered in filth and grime and all of the windows were shattered. There was a dampness in the air, and it wasn't just the southern summer. This house felt like death. This was the place of her worst defeat.

She was dressed in a formal white dressed over her bright blue graduation gown, her matching mortarboard resting by her feet. She had her arms wrapped around her knees while she silently let tears roll down her cheeks. As miserable a place as this was, it was the only place she felt truly connected to her mother. She hadn't been strong enough to save Hayley and it was all her own doing. If she had never tried to lure her father back to her, none of this would have happened. He had had Caroline after a millennium alone and she had had her mother. Her father never would have come back to New Orleans. The Hollow's magic never would have progressed to a hurricane so severe she herself had to absorb all the dark magic, nearly dying in the process. Her father wouldn't have had to die to save her. She would miss him, but he would be alive.

Hope was eighteen now, having just graduated from the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted. A year and a half ago, she learned that her father was not at Peace. It was almost as bad as when he died because at least then she had the hope that he was finally happy. He wasn't happy and he wasn't at Peace, so where the hell WAS he? She and Caroline had torn the libraries in both her mansion in New Orleans and at school apart looking for something, anything, that might give them any clue as to where her father had gone. So far, they had found nothing. There were many places he could have been, different worlds from different covens and whatnot, but their search had come up empty.

Caroline was spending more and more time in Mystic Falls as their leads dwindled. When they began their hunt three years ago, there had been so many possibilities. The Geminis weren't the only ones who could create prison worlds. Caroline had gone to as many covens as possible, trying a new one as soon as she found a name in their research. In the beginning, she went alone. After being held captive for three days by a particularly nasty group that absolutely did not want another Mikaelson on earth, she started bringing Hope along when it seemed necessary. Most of them were not inclined to help but sympathized with their plight enough to let them look through their grimoires. As a result, Hope had become an incredibly knowledgeable witch in addition to being the most powerful one ever born. At least, one day she would be the most powerful. She was still young and coming into her own.

Hope rested her head against the wall with her eyes closed and spoke to her mother the only way she could. "Hey mom," she began softly. "I miss you. I miss you every day, but I really missed you today. I know I've made a lot of mistakes and it's my fault you and dad are dead, but I'm trying. I'm doing my best to make you proud. I graduated today," she said as her voice cracked, choking on a joyless laugh. "God, how stupid is that? You're dead and I killed you and all I have to offer is that I was handed a stupid piece of paper. It's not like I'm going anywhere. Care got Alaric to give me a job teaching the elementary school kids basic magic starting in the fall. I think it'll be fun… if I don't screw that up, too."

Hope ran her fingers through her thick red curls, pulling out the bobby pins from her messy bun. She sat quietly for a few minutes, trying to think of anything relevant to say. Coming up empty, she just said whatever came to mind. "When dad died, he said he wasn't afraid to go because he knew we Mikaelsons would all come together time and time again." She laughed another painful laugh as more tears spilled. "He was wrong, mom. We haven't all been together since his funeral. Davina and Kol are out in California living 'normal' lives," she said as she made finger quotes. "Whatever the hell that means. I still have no idea what normal is. Freya and Keelin just had their second child, a boy this time. They named him after dad and call him Nikki. Can you believe that? Nikki? Dad would run right back to whatever hell he's in if anyone dared to call him that," she joked, chuckling as the sorrow flowed through her.

"Rebekah and Marcel are getting married soon. I'm actually really looking forward to that. With any luck, everyone will be there, and we'll be together again. But without you and dad it just…" she trailed off, taking a few deep breaths to calm her tears. "They're all so busy with their own lives that they've forgotten all about me. I mean yeah, they call, especially Uncle Kol. Tell Uncle Elijah I'm sorry, but Kol is my favorite uncle," she teased. "He knows more about magic than even I do, and that's impressive at this point. Eventually I'll one up him. Freya told everyone that Care and I are trying to bring dad back. Obviously, my favorite uncle and his wife are NOT in favor of that, but he's still been helping me throw ideas around… as long as Davina is at work. Keelin and Vincent give Freya a lot of shit for it, but she's on board. I wish I could see her more. I guess she calls more than Kol, but Kol and I text a lot more. Rebekah and Marcel are on the fence, and I can't really blame them."

Hope rubbed her hands over her eyes as she got her tears under control. "Dad did a lot of shitty things, I know. But he died for me… how can I not rescue him? God, mom, I don't even know if there's a WAY to rescue him. And even if I do find the right spell, what's the price for bringing back an Original hybrid? Magic always has to have a balance. And where am I ever going to get that much power? You know the hell Davina had to go through to bring back Kol." She paused, thinking. "But she found a way, mom. She found a way. If she can do it, so can Care and I. Thank God I have her. She's the closest thing to a parent I have left, even though I don't really see her that way much anymore. She misses him, too, and if I'm honest, I'm pretty sure she misses him even more than I do. We'll figure it out. We have to."

Hope sighed. "Anyway," she said as she ran her hands through her thick hair again and wiped her eyes. "I don't have much else to say, I guess. Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly. "I'm seeing someone! I know, me, right?" she laughed. "Some girlfriend I am just remembering that now. I wish you were here to see it. When we're together, I'm happy. I think. Sometimes it's hard to tell with everything always in the background. I'll tell you all about it when I see you again… whenever that is. We still don't know if I'm immortal. There isn't exactly a safe way to test that," she laughed. "I really don't want to be, though. I want to have a human life with the person I love and then one day come home to you. You ARE my home, mom, and I will keep my promise and find you again… someday. I love you. Always and forever."

The young redhead sat in the house as the sun blazed outside. She hadn't decided where to go tonight. It was a long drive back to Virginia, but doable. No one in New Orleans knew she had driven here after graduation the night before. She turned to look out a broken window at an oak tree. She was lost in thought when a voice pulled her out of her reverie.

"I thought I might find you here," Caroline said gently, sitting down beside her and pulling her knees to her chin as well. Hope scooted over and rested her head on the blonde's shoulder, sniffling. Caroline took one hand in hers and stroked Hope's hair with the other. They sat like that for a long while, drawing strength from each other. Watching the tribrid graduate had been hard on her, too. She kept imagining Klaus standing next to her in the wings as Hope walked across the stage and flipped her tassel. Sometimes it was hard to be around the younger woman because she was so like her father in some ways. It was a painful reminder of what she lost.

Hope was the first to break the silence. "How did you know where I'd be?" she asked. Caroline gave her a bored expression indicating that that was a ridiculous question. Hope rolled her eyes. "Why did I even ask? Of course, you'd know," she said with a sweet smile and a hand squeeze.

Caroline returned her smile, tucking a red tendril behind her ear. "Come on. We should head back to Mystic Falls." She stood up and starting walking to the door but turned around and put a hand on her hip when Hope didn't budge.

The younger girl offered up a sad smile. "I don't think there's anything in Mystic Falls for me right now. I kind of just want to be in Louisiana. I might go to the mansion for a few days." When Caroline looked at her like she must be kidding, she pointed out, "I'm 18 and a graduate. I can handle a few days alone. I'm not a kid anymore Care."

Caroline looked her up and down, considering her words. Hope was right. She was an adult and Caroline had no right to tell her to come home like a schoolgirl. It was strange, seeing her all grown up. She was filled with pride, but that pride was tinged with sadness that Klaus wasn't there to share the feeling. His daughter had become a beautiful and kind person, albeit still with a wolf's temper. She was brilliant and talented; an artist just like him. It had taken most of her life, but she was finally friends with the twins and a couple of the others from her class and theirs. Even though she had come far in the last three years, an aura of grief still surrounded her.

Caroline smirked as she came up with her reply. "I don't know, Hope," she teased. "I think Lizzie might have something to say about it if her date for the big party tonight bails on her," she said mischievously.

Hope's eyes widened. "You know about Lizzie?"

Caroline scoffed, tossing her blonde curls over her shoulder. "You mean do I know about Hizzie? Of course, I know. I'm blonde, not blind," she teased. She walked over to Hope and offered her a hand up.

Taking the outstretched hand, Hope stood up with her own smirk. "Oh. Well I guess you know about Josdon then, too."

"What?!" Caroline screeched dramatically. "Josie and LANDON? When the hell did that happen? I thought she was with Penelope?!

Hope laughed. "She is. Gotcha!" she teased, opening the door and stepping down the front steps.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You almost gave me a heart attack." She paused and gestured with her pointer finger. "Not that there's anything with Landon, apart from the fact that we still have no clue what he is. It's just that… Posie. Cuz duh."

Hope laughed out loud at her friend's ridiculousness as she walked to her car. "Did you flash all the way here or am I just not seeing your car?"

Caroline walked over to the passenger's side door and got in as Hope did the same on the driver's side. "I may have borrowed the Mikaelson jet and flashed the rest of the way," she said with a wink. "But seriously, if you and Lizzie are happy, then I'm happy for you. You deserve a little happiness."

Hope pulled onto the road and smiled at the woman next to her. "Thanks. That means a lot." She wasn't necessarily hiding her relationship… but how did you tell your best friend you were having sex with her daughter? Awkward! They were silent as Hope got on the highway, cars fading in the background as she stepped on it. Caroline was right. Lizzie would be pissed. She was still having episodes even though the doctors kept trying different medications. It was taking less and less to set her off these days, but Hope wasn't afraid of a temper tantrum from her younger girlfriend. The trick was not flying off the handle herself. She really was her father's daughter in some ways. Hope looked sideways at Caroline as she spoke. "You do, too, you know." Caroline looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "No, I don't mean someone else. I mean my dad. We'll get him back… somehow," she trailed off sadly. Snapping herself out of it, she teased, "I mean, seriously, you and my dad? Total endgame."

Caroline punched her hand in the air. "Klaroline forever!" she cheered as Hope laughed so hard her face turned red.

"You ship named yourself with my dad? Seriously?" she said in between chuckles.

Caroline gave her an irritated expression. "Um, yeah? You and my daughter did… along with everyone else in Mystic Falls."

Hope laughed again, passing a Bentley that reminded her of the car she once drove in so long ago. "I'm eighteen! What's your excuse?"

"I'm seventeen!" Caroline exclaimed with a bright smile. Hope rolled her eyes. Caroline had her there. She was forever seventeen, stuck in a filler year. Thankfully, the tribrid had made it past that. If she was immortal, she was hoping her aging wouldn't stop until at least her mid-twenties like her dad. The two women continued to joke and chat all the way back to Mystic Falls as they tried to focus on anything other than the weight constantly in their chests where Klaus Mikaelson should have been.

When the women pulled up late that night, the party was in full swing. Hope had inherited her father's mansion in the sleepy Virginia town and had kept it up to date with live-in caretakers. She liked to go there to paint in her dad's old studio, but she was known to have a party there on occasion now that she was dating Lizzie, the blonde being much more of a social butterfly than she. Caroline told Hope to have fun before joining a couple of the teachers in one of the parlor rooms.

Hope, still wearing her graduation dress, headed upstairs to take a shower and change. She didn't have a whole lot of clothes here, but she had enough. Now that she was eighteen, she thought more and more about moving in permanently, but she was very attached to Caroline. She wasn't quite ready to leave the boarding house yet. She had taken her father's room, never having had her own here. It was the biggest and had a balcony overlooking the endless backyard with giant glass doors.

The young Mikaelson sighed as the hot water ran down her body, washing off the remains of the day. She scrubbed her skin raw to remove all traces of the grime from the farmhouse. She got out and wrapped one plush oversized white towel around herself and dried off her hair with another. She tossed her hair back into a messy bun, not caring too much what everyone downstairs thought of it. She walked into her room and found a very angry girlfriend sitting on her bed, knees crossed and arms over her chest, fuming.

Hope groaned. She hadn't told Lizzie she was leaving. She meant to, but her emotions were so overwhelming that she just got in her Tesla and started driving and didn't stop until she got to the farmhouse. "Crap," she said bluntly. "I'm so sorry baby. I went to talk to my mom. I shouldn't have left without saying anything." She learned with Lizzie the best thing to do was accept total responsibility no matter what and apologize. She did not always succeed, but she did try. Sometimes.

Lizzie stood up and walked over to her girlfriend clad only in a towel. She looked her up and down with a snotty expression, deciding how angry she wanted to get. She could feel the rage boiling just beneath her porcelain skin. She wanted to lash out and break things, but she had done that in the woods earlier that day and was calmer now. She had a spot she went to when she needed to destroy things. Hope and Josie, and on occasion Caroline, left random things from yard sales there for her to break and then all pretended they didn't know about it. Her temper only seemed to get worse as time went on.

On the other hand, her very hot girlfriend was apologizing while naked. That was a pretty good deterrent. Lizzie walked forward and pulled Hope gently to her by her hair and whispered, lips touching lips, "Damn right you're sorry." She kissed her passionately and with a lot of tongue. Hope wasn't particularly in the mood, but sometimes the blonde got bored after a few minutes, so she would wait and see before upsetting her. "Now make it up to me," she said in a sultry whisper as she pulled off Hope's towel and pushed her towards the bed.

Hope fell down with Lizzie on top of her in her baby blue halter top and white jean shorts. The redhead let her arms fall above her on the bed. The blonde attacked Hope's neck with bites and kisses as she writhed on top of her, working her way down to a perky nipple. Once it pebbled, she replaced it with her fingers and pinched and pulled as she palmed her breast. Moving on to her other nipple, she sucked hard, hoping to get a reaction that wasn't coming.

Hope sighed and rolled her eyes. She was going to have to say something… but she could wait just a minute, right? Trying to get in the mood, she closed her eyes and focused on the sensations on her skin. The blonde stood up and wiggled out of her panties and shorts before lifting off her halter top, baring her breasts and hovering them over Hope's mouth. Hope took a warm nipple into her mouth and sucked and nipped before moving to the other to do the same as Lizzie ground into her pelvis, skin on skin. She pulled her nipples away and leaned down to kiss the tribrid deeply, running her hands all over Hope's breasts, nipples still hard in spite of her lack of arousal. God, she was trying…

Lizzie ran her fingertips down her belly and over her lips before kissing her way down Hope's damp skin. She licked over her velvet soft waxed lips as Hope struggled along. The redhead gulped, knowing what was about to happen. Lizzie nipped and licked her inner thighs before returning to her girlfriend's center. She spread her lips with one hand and licked over her clit before immediately pulling up. "You're not wet. Why aren't you wet?" she asked angrily. "What did I do now!?"

Hope sat up a bit, propping herself up on her elbows. Lizzie was straddling her now and she was soaked and ready to go. Didn't Hope want her anymore? Was she ugly now? Was she really in that farmhouse? Or was she with someone else? Was it a guy? "It's not you, honey. I've just been in a mood the last couple of days, what with graduation and my parents not being here."

Lizzie threw up her arms and rolled her eyes. "God! It's always about your stupid family! They're dead!" Hope's jaw dropped. She pushed Lizzie up and stood facing her, but the blonde kept going. "Look, I know that it sucks, but you're not the only one who's ever lost something so get over it already!" she shouted. "I am TIRED," she pushed the redhead in the chest and sent her back a few feet. "Of your," another shove, "whining!" One final push had Hope pressed up again the wall, lights from the party flashing through the balcony door's glass.

Hope's eyes flashed yellow and she felt her gums sting as tiny bits of double fangs started to emerge. Both girls stood there staring at each other clad in nothing but their rage, skin still bare. Hope growled before she spoke. "Don't you DARE pretend to know what I'm going through! You have NO idea what it's like to be an ORPHAN at FIFTEEN! You're just a spoiled brat anytime you don't get your way!"

Lizzie scoffed, taking a few steps back and gesturing out the balcony doors next to her. "Me? You think I'M spoiled?! Look outside, Hope! Look around!" She spun around and waved her arms dramatically. "You got the world handed to you when your dad-" she screamed, but Hope cut her off, flashing in between her and the tall balcony doors, nose to nose.

"DIED! He died! None of THIS," she waved outside, "means ANYTHING to me if I'm alone!"

"You have ME!" she screamed, balling her hands into fists. She couldn't store magic for very long, but she always siphoned at least some magic from someone at the school every day just in case of an emergency and she could feel that magic burning her hands. Both of their chests heaved, breast on breast, before Hope took a step backwards towards the doors.

Hope held up her hands, trying to reel herself back in. "You're right," she conceded. "I do have you, and I love you Lizzie, I do, but it's not the same. I miss them and I miss them every day, every hour," she said as her voice cracked, and her eyes filled with tears. Her words were meant to calm her raging girlfriend, but all Lizzie heard was that she wasn't enough. "I miss my mom and I miss my dad," she cried.

Lizzie felt all sanity leave her body and all that remained was burning hot anger scalding her from the inside out. She backed Hope against the double doors and screamed the harshest words she could conjure up. "THE WORLD IS BETTER OFF WITHOUT YOUR DAD!" she screamed, energy starting to pour into the air from her fingertips, static electricity crackling all around. There was no control left in the younger girl. "And the world is better off without YOU!" Hope's eyes flashed, but she never got the chance to respond. Lizzie pushed her forward as energy burst forth and sent Hope flying backwards through the glass doors, over the railing, and onto the concrete below. Lizzie screamed and rushed forward, realizing what she had done as soon as the magic left her body. She screamed again at the sight of her girlfriend lying there motionless and naked on the ground with her eyes closed, limbs twisted at odd angles and blood pooling beneath her snapped neck.

A/N What do you guys think? Are we ok with Hizzie? It's an important plot point, but if you really hate it, I can figure something else out. Let me know what you think pretty, pretty please!


	8. Piece by Piece

A/N Thank you so, so much to those of you reading and especially to those of you who took the time to leave me a review! Your support means SO much to me! I hope you like this one. We've got some big stuff happening. ;)

Chapter Seven – Piece by Piece

Dolomite Mountain Range – 2021

Caroline's matted hair flew all around, drenched with muck and blood, as the wind raged just beyond the cursed ground as Klaus watched in horror. Even with his hybrid hearing, he could barely make out what the two women inside the clearing were saying. Caroline had to scream just to be heard over the maelstrom. She held her hand above her eyes to try and see past her flying hair and dirt swirling in the air. She was looking up at a ghostly figure with a kind smile and long, black hair. The translucent figure sat cross legged just overhead, completely still in spite of the chaos surrounding them.

"Who are you?" Caroline shouted over the howling wind. "How do you know my name?"

The woman smiled down at her as though they were old friends. "I know many things, Caroline Forbes," she shouted with a wisdom that far surpassed her apparent age. "As I said, I am Jorlena. I am the daughter of Arelia, the sole survivor of the original Gemini Coven."

Realization dawning, Caroline gasped before screaming, "So it's true! I was right! I knew it!" she shouted excitedly. "You're the little girl from the legend! The one who defeated the uberwitch!"

Jorlena laughed a musical laugh that sang through the storm. "She had a name, you know. Her name is Eledain."

"You mean her name WAS Eledain!" the blonde commented.

"No, I mean IS," she replied darkly, her smile falling as her eyes grew cold. "No, Caroline Forbes, I mean her name IS Eledain," she said seriously, her tone ominous. The storm continued to rage all around, growing stronger with each passing moment. Both women knew there wasn't a lot of time before their conversation had to end or the two immortals would be lost in chaos. Caroline opened her mouth to speak, but Jorlena cut her off. "What you learned in my grimoire was correct, but there is something you don't know!" she shouted.

"CAROLINE!" Klaus screamed once more. He was desperate to get to her. He tried once again to cross into the cursed grounds. With the eye of the storm shrinking, he made it further this time. He fell to his knees when a sharp branch lodged itself directly in his patella. His lost footing cost him his position and the storm once more threw him aside. He growled as he tried again, eyes growing yellow.

Jorlena glared daggers at the hybrid. "That man contains pure evil, young one," she said darkly. Caroline rolled her eyes even as dirt flew in her face. "However, magic always has a reason and his role has only just begun!"

"What does that mean?" the blonde screamed through the chaos.

Jorlena's face softened when she returned her gaze to the blonde mother. "We haven't much time! Listen to me now!" the ghost shouted. Caroline nodded, closing her mouth. "I was pregnant with a baby girl when I returned to battle Eledain, as you know." Caroline nodded her head in acknowledgment. "Here's what was never written: When our daughter was born, she was not alone."

Caroline gasped in horror, hand flying to her mouth as one still guarded her eyes. "You had twins!" she screamed.

Jorlena nodded, a dark expression taking over her face once more. "Yes, the first twins of the Gemini, Alaria and Cordainia. Eledain attached the remains of herself to my unborn child. The darkness was so great that it tore my child apart and split her into two bodies. I had my suspicions but in the beginning both of my girls were beautiful and gentle children. Other families joined the coven and we all lived together in peace." Jorlena's gaze faded for a moment, as though her thoughts were far away.

"What happened to the twins?" Caroline screamed, bringing the ghost back to the present as hell thundered all around them.

Jorlena shook her head for a moment to clear her mind of whatever horrible memory had returned. "As time went on, I learned that one twin was unaffected by this evil, my sweet little Alaria. The other, Cordainia, was not. Alaria was like me with magic all her own, but Cordainia was tainted by what Eledain had done."

"Cordainia was a siphon?" the blonde questioned. The storm was getting closer and closer by the second. Klaus continued his attempts to get to Caroline, determined to succeed. She heard his growl bellowing again as a branch impaled him through the gut and pinned him to a tree just beyond the horror. He ripped it out and fell several feet to the ground. The hybrid lay there screaming as his organs knitted themselves back together. As soon as he could stand, he entered the roaring winds once again.

Jorlena raised her voice to scream even louder than before, but Caroline could barely hear her. "Yes! Most of the time, she was a loving daughter and sister; but as she grew older, the evil began to take an even deeper hold. She grew jealous and angry. Her episodes began to last longer and longer and nothing could calm her rage. Alaria had a son shortly before they turned 22. Eledain used her jealousy and rage to take over Cordainia and challenge her sister."

Caroline gasped again, screaming to be heard as she began to feel debris hitting the ends of her blonde curls as they flew all around. Time was running out. "The Merge!"

Jorlena nodded. "Yes! Alaria was killed and Cordainia absorbed her magic. By then, the coven had grown stronger. It was the worst moment of my life, but I had to save my grandchild and the rest of my coven. We created a device called an Ascendant and trapped her in a world far away."

"That's what they did to Kai Parker!" Caroline screamed, falling to her knees as a rock hit her ankle. Klaus reached for her desperately, now only a few feet away. He was struck by a giant rock, but he transformed his hands into that of a wolf and sunk his claws into the earth to drag himself forward.

"Yes! When we trapped Cordainia, we thought Eledain was finally gone, but we were wrong!" The light emanating from the orb began to flicker. They had only moments left and they both knew it. "My grandson grew up and married. When his wife gave birth, she had twins! Those twins were both pure, like we were. We thought again that we were saved, but the next generation bore a set of twins with one a siphon." The orb continued to flicker as Klaus made it a few inches closer. Caroline tried to get to her feet but was struck by a branch. She managed to kneel up on her knees and desperately tried to hear Jorlena's screams.

"So, every time a siphon was born, they were forced to carry on Eledain's curse?" the blonde said as she struggled to stay upright, hands on either side of her mouth as she shouted.

"Not exactly! Eledain wasn't cursed herself: she was a curse personified! Her goal in life wasn't love, or family or even power. Her mission was to tear apart everything she touched! From the depths of the Earth she came, and she was evil given blood and bone. That evil lives on in the hearts of her descendants, and it has always won, immortalized in the blood of the Gemini!"

Jorlena's image began to fade and Caroline knew she would be gone any second. "Don't go yet! I need to know more! Is one twin always destined to be evil?"

Jorlena shook her head from side to side. "No! Into every generation a set of twins are born. There has not always been a siphon, but when there is, Eledain will always come forth and survive The Merge. As time goes on, she has grown stronger, biding her time until she can gain total control and live once more!"

Caroline's wrist broke as a chunk of wood knocked it from her face, but she held firm, orb clasped in her hands. Pain wouldn't stop her. She had to find an answer! "But BOTH of my twins are siphons!"

Jorlena nodded, her image flickering. "Yes! The darkness is inside one of them! This day was always meant to come! When your twins Merge, Eledain will be given flesh and her terror will destroy everything in her path! No true witch has ever had the power to stop her!" As she spoke, Klaus' claws were just an inch from Caroline. Jorlena looked at him, her face darkening when their eyes locked. Yes, his role had begun, but he still had a part to play. "She was the most powerful witch the world had ever known, her evil unmatched until another was born with terror to rival her own!"

Caroline followed the witch's line of sight and saw Klaus, fangs barred and eyes yellow, mid transformation. "The Hollow?" she screamed. "The Hollow is her equal? What does that mean?"

Jorlena's eyes returned to Caroline's and the blonde could see the agony hidden behind all that piercing blue. "I do not have all the answers you seek, Caroline Forbes! Our time is at an end! I wish you luck with my whole heart! I can see the love you have for your daughters! The love of family is our greatest gift, always and forever! Hold onto that love, for when Lizzie and Josie turn 22, death will be the remains of the day!"

Tears streamed down Caroline's face, leaving tracks in the blood and grime. There had to be more! She couldn't let one of her twins die. She just couldn't! She violently shook her head back and forth and she screamed at the top of her lungs to be heard. "I don't accept that! There has to be a way! You have to know something – anything! Please! Please help me save my daughters! They're innocent little girls who did nothing to deserve this!" she begged on her knees; her thighs having given out. "Please! You're supposed to be this all-powerful witch and you're the ancestor of my babies! Please give me a clue that will tell me how to stop this!"

Jorlena flickered once more, barely visible in the fading light. The ancient witch smiled sadly. "I can't predict the future, and I can't tell you what will save your daughters! All I can tell you is what has been written in the stars for as long as they have hung in the sky!"

Klaus finally grabbed hold of Caroline. "Time is up, sweetheart! You need to let go!" he screamed, trying to pry her fingers from the orb.

Caroline shoved him off of her. He barely managed to keep his claws in the ground as the blonde screamed again. "Are you talking about another prophecy?"

Jorlena shook her head back and forth as her image faded. "No, not a prophecy: an ultimate truth. A truth that has been clear to all who have sought to conquer true evil!" Caroline felt Klaus' arms wrap around her and envelope her hand in his newly human one. "Evil will live immortal until love itself is given flesh, and only on that day will darkness die! Farwell!" The ancestor of the Gemini disappeared as her last words echoed through the maelstrom.

Klaus finally pried the globe from Caroline's grasp and threw it with all his strength before covering her body with his. As soon as it left his fingers it burst into an explosion of light. The howling winds and debris swirled into a giant tornado overhead. The cyclone flew upwards and into the blinding light. There was another explosion and the last of the storm disappeared. The orb returned to green and shattered when it hit the ground. Their connection to the ancient witch was gone and they would never again be able to find her.

The two immortals slowly looked around. The night was calm and quiet as they stood up and walked away from the cursed grounds. Klaus held Caroline's hand in his, fingers intertwined. They turned to face each other once they were free of the horrible blackness and magic no longer buzzed along their skin. Caroline looked in his cerulean eyes and all he could see back was a mother broken by grief. His undead heart shattered for her as he took her into his arms. There were no words, so he held her in silence as she sobbed into his bare chest.

The trees around them were bathed in nothing but the light of the crescent moon. Klaus knew there was no way they would be able to make their way back down the mountain with Caroline in this condition. He scooped her up and held her in his arms as she continued to cry on his shoulder.

The two lovers were lost in thought as Klaus slowly hiked onward. What did it all mean? What role did HE play in the Gemini Merge? Even with all they learned, there were still more questions than answers. Who were those witches and why had they been guarding the cursed ground? Eventually her tears subsided, but still he held her. She needed his support, but he needed hers, too, and he wasn't ready to let go. By the time they reached the forgotten village, she was happily nuzzling her face into his chest, occasionally smiling up at him. No matter what happened, they had each other. Their love would always carry them out of the dark.

Klaus walked up the rickety wooden stairs to the first cabin they came upon. It was decrepit and balanced precariously over the lake, supported by stilts the hybrid absolutely did not trust. However, it would have to do. He sighed and looked down at Caroline, silently asking if she was ok with entering the home of the witches they slaughtered. She wiped her muddy eyes and nodded her approval, offering up a small smile. "Well, at least we won't have to worry about a barrier," he said with a small smile, shrugging. Caroline rolled her eyes and put her feet on the ground as Klaus gently let her down to open the door. In a swift movement, he ripped the handle clean out of the door before scooping her up again.

Caroline yelped. "Hey!" she laughed. "I could have walked you know."

Klaus smirked at his successful efforts to draw a laugh out of her. "I'm carrying you over the threshold, sweetheart," he teased as he set her down and closed the remains of the door behind them.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to do that when you get married, silly," she joked.

"We may as well be," he told her, wrapping his muddy arms around her and pulling her in for a soft, sweet kiss. "You did say you love me, after all," he whispered, trailing the back of his knuckles down her filthy cheek. Klaus smiled at her gently, but she could see the insecurity buried behind his blue eyes.

The blonde smiled at him and nodded before leaning up to kiss him back. "I did," she said with another peck. "And I do," she added with another. "But," she said, pulling back and pointing her finger at him. "We are both seriously disgusting. Let's hope they have running water. This place looks like time forgot all about it."

They peered around the small cabin. The entire place had an eerie look to it. There was no joy within these walls. It was one large room with a door at the far end. There was a fireplace and some old furniture. One corner held an old wood burning stove and shelves of food. Ancient paintings hung on the wall, greyed with years of grime. A rickety bookshelf stood near the fireplace. It was filled with old texts. There was an old but comfortable looking bed in one corner. Their gaze landed on it at the same time and Klaus smirked with a yellow tinge to his eyes. "Shower," Caroline commanded.

Klaus held up his hands defensively, his face indicating he had no objections. She grabbed his hand and dragged him to the door on the far wall. She groaned in relief when there was, indeed, a bathroom with a shower. She peered down at the toilet with disgust. There was a hole that emptied into the lake below and nothing resembling toilet paper. Klaus let his head fall back and groaned. He rolled his eyes and dropped his head dramatically to meet Caroline's gaze. "I HATE ancient plumbing. I roamed the earth for centuries and plenty of that time was spent before the advent of modern sanitation. I do NOT miss it," he said with a huff.

Caroline was also not a fan, but she couldn't help but roll her eyes at his petulant expression. He narrowed his eyes and glared at her, hands on both hips. He was not amused. "Well this place is like a billion years old, babe," she pointed out before adding with a wink, "like you."

"No, it isn't," he informed his young companion with an amused glare. She raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to speak but he held up his hand. "I realize the witch with whom you spoke was even older than The Hollow, but this cabin is not." He lifted a hand towards the shower. "Europe got running water in the early 1800s." He pointed at the toilet, if that's what it was, next. "These dreadful things were done away with by the mid-1800s, so this cabin was built somewhere in the early nineteenth century."

Caroline cocked her head to the side and asked, "Then what's up with those witches? Why wouldn't they suddenly come back and build a village here if they left? It's like they showed up and cut themselves off from civilization. Jorlena sure didn't seem too upset that we killed them, either."

Klaus shrugged as he lit candles in the three sconces on the wooden walls. "Well they tried to stop us from even getting to her, so my guess is that are somehow followers of Eledain. There were several tombs on the shelf out there that we can look through," he suggested.

Caroline raked her eyes over him, her mind wandering back to their very active evening. Klaus knew that look and his eyes darkened with lust as he looked her up and down. She stepped closer, invading his personal space. She slowly brought her gaze up to look into his eyes. She pulled at the knot tying together his ruined Henley. "Well at least they have a shower," she teased, lips brushing his as she continued in a sultry whisper, "and I'm very, very dirty."

Klaus' eyes flashed as she stepped back and pulled the shredded fabric away, revealing her mud caked breasts, nipples already hard under his electric gaze. A low growl emanated from his throat as he turned on the water and pulled her to him, his erection springing to life and throbbing to escape his jeans. "Let's see what we can do about that," he teased, lips brushing lips. Wasting no time, he flashed them out of their blood and dirt encrusted jeans and boots and threw her up against the wooden shower wall.

Caroline immediately wrapped her legs around him, already wet and ready to go. The primal need for each other came rushing back, each of them desperate to connect. Klaus held her as tightly as possible as he thrust into her, his face buried between her neck and shoulder. She threw her head back when she felt him inside of her, moaning his name out loud as the water cascaded across their bodies.

Mud and blood melted off of them as he pumped into her at a punishing rhythm. Neither one of them were going to last very long with their passion overwhelming their senses. He wound his fingers into her hair and pinned her head against the wall as he attacked her mouth, his tongue consuming hers. Caroline scratched her nails down his back as he hit her in just the right spot. He dug his own filthy fingernails into her hips as he pushed himself deeper inside her center.

Their kisses were frenzied as they flew higher and higher. Klaus had a millennium of practice controlling himself, but he was in no mood to wait. He wanted to bury his seed inside of her and he wanted to do it NOW. He slithered a hand between their lower bellies and furiously rubbed her clit in circles, sending her soaring. He began thrusting into her at a pace only a vampire could survive as he bit her lower lip, drawing blood.

Klaus pulled back and stared into her eyes, foreheads touching. "Come, Caroline. Come now," he commanded in a throaty growl as she frantically nodded her head. She was ready to explode when he angled them in the perfect position to reach the spot where he knew she needed him most. He circled his thumb around and around her pulsing bud as she screamed his name into the silent night, shattering completely. With a few slamming thrusts, he toppled off the edge with her, moaning her name through his own release.

The water cascaded down from the ancient faucet as Caroline rested her head back against the wall. Klaus buried his face in her chest, both of them drawing in deep, shuddering breaths. They rested in that position until their racing hearts returned to a normal rhythm. Klaus pulled up from her chest as she dropped her head to meet his gaze. He smiled at her with soft dimples and kissed her gently on the lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled into him as he let her down.

It took a very long time to get all the filth removed from their bodies, but they didn't mind as they laughed and splashed back and forth. There was a light joy between them as they finally emerged and searched for something to wear. Apparently, there were no women in this cabin, so Caroline covered herself in nothing but a men's nightshirt that was probably white at some point but was now aged to yellow. It was far too large for her small frame, hitting at mid-thigh. Klaus settled on a pair of loose brown trousers.

Caroline looked through the ancient writings as Klaus lit a fire in the stone fireplace. They settled down in front of the crackling wood on some kind of animal rug. It might have been a bear, but it was hard to tell with all the wear and tear. Caroline sat between Klaus' extended legs, her back to his bare chest. He wrapped his arms around her as they looked through the yellowing pages. "Does anything seem relevant, Mr. Languages?" she teased as Klaus silently translated the old Ladin text. He shook his head as she turned the page.

The vast majority of the texts were long and useless histories of the various generations of Gemini. After a couple of hours of researching, the sun was starting to come up over the Alps. Finally, Klaus pointed to a section on a handwritten page. "There," he showed her. "This is the story of a battle that took place here about 150 years ago."

Caroline hummed. "Hmm. That must be when they came back and built this village," she said quietly.

"I think so," Klaus said, nodding his head behind her shoulder. "Well, at least when they stopped all contact with the outside world and therefore never evolved with technology." She looked back at him quizzically. "This is where the Gemini Coven lived for hundreds and hundreds of years."

"That doesn't make sense. The Gemini my girls came from lived in America," she commented.

"Give me a moment to read this, love," he said, kissing her cheek. He flipped through several pages as Caroline waited patiently, relaxing against his chest. Exhaustion was starting to catch up with her. She closed her eyes for several minutes as he read to himself. "Are you awake?" he asked gently. She opened her eyes and nodded, shaking her head to regain her focused. "Alright," Klaus told her firmly, "I will read this to you, but then we're going to bed and getting some rest. We can hike down the mountain this afternoon." She opened her mouth to protest but pressed her lips together at his stern gaze. Caroline knew that expression. She was usually the one bossing him around but on rare occasions he called the shots. He didn't dig his heels in very often, but when he did, he wouldn't budge. She nodded, resting her head back against his chest.

"It seems as though there was some kind of rift that developed between the two most prominent families in the coven, the Parkers and the Tyrols," he explained.

"Well, we know the Parkers settled outside Portland, so the Tyrols must have stayed here," Caroline chimed in. Klaus nodded thoughtfully. "What happened? What made them leave?"

Klaus smirked at her, amused. "I would tell you if you would stop talking, sweetheart," he teased. She narrowed her eyes at him in mock anger before kissing him lightly on the lips, once again settling down. "It appears that Jorlena was correct when she said Eledain has been gaining power over time. There was a Merge between a pair of Tyrol twins with a siphon as the victor, the first siphon in a century. The Parkers were afraid of Eledain returning to full power, so they tried to assassinate their new leader."

Caroline gasped. "That's horrible! They went after each other?"

Klaus nodded solemnly, "They did, and they were successful, although several members of each family died in the process. The battle left the coven with no true leader. There were a set of twins in the Parker line, but they were only children. There's a lot here, but to sum it all up the coven was deeply divided with each family having different supporters naming different leaders. There was a ceremony very much like The Merge between the elected leaders of each family."

"I'm guessing the Parkers won, right?" Caroline asked.

Klaus nodded in confirmation. "Indeed. The two factions agreed that the victor would be the new leader until the Parker twins came of age. Unfortunately, the Tyrols were very sore losers. There was a set of twins born of their line several years later and they wanted one of them to take control. Well the Parkers were vehemently against this for a variety of reasons, one of them being the theory that Eledain died with the Tyrol twins."

Caroline rolled her eyes and huffed. "Well that theory sucked."

Klaus pinched one of her nipples hard enough to make her jump. She glared at him and he gave her an angelic dimpled smile. She narrowed her eyes but pressed her lips together to let him continue. "There was an attempt made to take down the Parker twins, but it failed. At the time, the Parker elders believed the Tyrols were secret supporters of Eledain and sought to return her to power. The elders back then were more Parker than Tyrol. The Parker elders banned together and banished the Tyrols from the coven and cast a spell preventing their descendants from ever leaving this land."

Caroline nodded as he closed the tomb and set it down, wrapping her up in his arms. "The remaining Tyrols must have been the witches that we ran into." Klaus nodded his agreement. "If they were supporters of Eledain, it explains why they tried to stop us from reaching the site of the massacres. They wouldn't have wanted us talking to Jorlena."

Klaus nodded again before standing and scooping her up. He tossed Caroline over his shoulder, causing the thin nightshirt to fall forward onto her back. He smacked her bare cheek hard enough to leave a handprint, making her yelp. He tossed her down on the bed and flopped down next to her, pulling her into his arms. He kissed her temple before whispering, "That's enough stories for one day, sweetheart. Time to sleep." Caroline curled up against him, throwing a bare leg over his as he pulled an ancient quilt over them both. She leaned up and kissed him lightly, returning the soft smile he was giving her. She rested her head on his chest and they were both sound asleep within minutes, the morning sun shining through the threadbare curtains.

Mystic Falls – 2029

The music filling the party stopped as screams filled the air. In an instant there was a crowd surrounding the body of Hope Mikaelson. Caroline flashed to the scene, but the path was blocked by students and teachers. She began to push people aside, determined to find out who was hurt. "Get out of my way! Move! LET ME THROUGH!" she screamed. When she finally made it to the center of the circle, she screamed and fell to her knees beside the corpse. "NO! NO! NO! HOPE! NO! YOU CAN'T BE DEAD! NO!"

The crowd fell silent as Caroline cradled the naked girl in her arms, blood covering both of them. "Somebody get me something to cover her up!" she commanded. She heard the distinctive whoosh of a vampire flashing and a large blanket flew into the air as whoever it was jumped high enough to throw it to Caroline. She immediately covered up Klaus' daughter, hysteria threatening to overwhelm her. It wasn't supposed to happen like this!

"HOPE!" a voice screamed from overhead. Caroline looked up just in time to see her naked daughter standing on the stone railing of the balcony above. Before Caroline could even react, Lizzie jumped from the railing in her desperation to reach the girlfriend she murdered. Screams filled the air and the blonde waited in terror for the awful sound of flesh on concrete. The sound never came. There was a collective exhale of air as a young black vampire with a giant afro jumped high in the air to catch the siphon and landed on his feet with her cradled in his arms. Chest heaving, the young girl turned to her savior. "Thanks, MG. I wasn't thinking. I just-" she gasped in between deep, shaky breaths. "I just- I need to get to her! Help me PLEASE!"

Milton Greasley nodded and moved forward through the masses. The crowd parted like the Red Sea to let them through. Lizzie jumped out of his arms and fell to her knees beside her mother and Hope. Two young brunettes shoved their way through the throng of people, all deathly silent, and joined the three women. Lizzie turned to her sister in a panic. "Josie! Oh my GOD! I didn't- I didn't- I didn't mean-" she stuttered before choking on her words.

Josie Saltzman wrapped her arms around her sister and turned to the other girl. "Pen, can you get something for her, please?" the siphon begged her girlfriend. Penelope Park nodded; eyes wide in horror. She and Lizzie would never be best friends, but she certainly didn't want her to die. Penelope stood to find something and smacked right into a boy with brown hair and kind eyes. He wore a grave expression for one so young. He held out his long coat and the witch took it with a nod before crouching down to cover up Lizzie as she and Caroline held the body. Josie looked up with a quick glance. "Thanks, Landon." Landon Kirby gave her a quick nod in acknowledgement before all eyes returned to the four women surrounding what had once been the tribrid.

After a long while, Caroline broke the silence. "We should," she choked out, "move the body, girls." She wiped at her tears, smearing black mascara all over her eyes.

"Don't call her that!" Lizzie screamed, sobs starting all over again. "She isn't dead! She can't- she can't- she can't-" She never finished her sentence as she began hyperventilating once more. She threw herself over what was left of Hope and cried into her unmoving chest. Caroline looked at her daughter sympathetically. They could wait a few more minutes but then what? She hadn't been able to find a way to stop The Merge OR bring back Klaus. How the hell was she going to manage a third problem? She buried her face in her hands and let her tears fall as the crowd stood silently watching the grieving women.

Caroline pulled her hands away at vamp speed when she heard a collective gasp. She looked down and saw Hope's chest rise and fall. Lizzie popped up and her blue eyes widened as her girlfriend slowly opened her eyes. The siphon's face broke out into a huge smile, tears still falling. Hope propped herself up on her elbows and looked around the clearing as she tried to figure out what happened. She looked down to the blood-soaked sheet covering her naked body and up to Caroline. She saw nothing but utter relief on the blonde vampire's face as her breathing started to slow.

Lizzie reached out a hand to tuck a red tendril behind Hope's ear when the tribrid smacked it away. Lizzie recoiled in shock as Hope's face screwed up and her jaw dropped. "You BITCH!" The two girls looked at each other, Hope's face one of pure hate. "You killed me! You seriously just threw me off the fucking balcony and killed me! Bitch!"

Lizzie's hands flew to her mouth, muffling her speech. "I'm so sorry, Hope! I love you and I would never-"

"The hell you would never! You just did! Look at me!" she screamed when Lizzie covered her face with her hands. Hope grabbed her wrist and pulled it out of the way. Black veins started to darken beneath her rapidly yellowing eyes. "Get the FUCK away from me before I MAKE you get away!" Lizzie stood, wrapping the coat around her naked body. She took a step back, but not fast enough for Hope. A deep growl escaped her throat as she lunged for the blonde girl.

Before Hope knew what was happening, she fell to her knees, growls replaced by screams. She held her head in her hands as an aneurysm ripped through her skull. "Lizzie, get out of here!" Penelope said darkly, hand outstretched as her magic incapacitated the tribrid. Still staring at Hope with her chocolate brown eyes, she shouted over the screams piercing the air. "She's a hell of a lot stronger than I am! I won't be able to hold her for long! You need to run!" Lizzie looked down at her girlfriend clutching her head in agony. She couldn't get her feet to move. "Lizzie GO!" Penelope screamed.

Josie and Landon each took one of Lizzie's arms and carried her away as she stared in shock at the chaos she had wrought. Once the engine of their car turned over and they were clearly safe, Penelope released Hope. The redhead jumped to her feet and reached for the brunette. Two sets of strong arms held her back. One set belonged to MG, the other to a darker skinned vampire with braids. Hope screamed at the boys to release her.

When they didn't free her, Hope screamed at the witch. "Who the HELL do you think you are? You think you can subdue ME? With THIS?" To everyone's shock, a wave of magic exploded from the tribrid. Not only did the two vampires lose their grip but they were sent catapulting into the air. They landed with a dull thud just beyond the crowd. Hope screamed in Penelope's face, spit flying, but the young witch didn't back down. "Do you know who I am? What I can do? I'm a MIKAELSON! I'm-"

"Immortal!" Penelope shouted back. There was a collective gasp from the group of supernaturals. Hope stepped back in shock as the word flowed through her, eyes wide and jaw hanging down. "You're immortal, Hope," she repeated, this time barely a whisper. She took a step towards the other girl. "You're immortal." Penelope put a calming hand on Hope's trembling arm as the truth settled deep in her bones. She was immortal. Now they knew. She couldn't die. If she couldn't die, she couldn't keep her promise to her mother to live a long, human life because she WASN'T human, had never BEEN human and would never BE human. All the rage flew out of her as tears filled her eyes, despair threatening to choke her. She looked around at the crowd, searching for some kind of answer. Her eyes settled on Caroline and the blonde ran to her and enveloped Hope in her arms before her immortal legs gave out.

Caroline crouched down and held Hope as she sobbed as hard as she ever had in her life. It was hard enough knowing she would have to wait one lifetime to be reunited with Hayley Marshall. The weight of a thousand lifetimes was threatening to crush her when Caroline scooped her up. "Let me through kids. I want everyone to return to school now," she commanded quietly. "Party's over." No one needed to be told twice.

As soon as Caroline made her way up the stairs, a swarm of bodies surged towards the front door. The blonde looked down at the bottom of the stairs and saw the two brown haired teenagers staring up at her, the sound of Hope's cries filling the air. "Penelope, please give Josie a ride home and check on Lizzie. We're fine here. I'll stay with Hope." Penelope nodded her head and intertwined her fingers with her girlfriend's as they moved through the crowd.

Once they made it to the bedroom, Caroline sat down on the bed as Hope clung to her, tears streaming. She held her tight, rubbing her back as the sheet pooled around Hope's waist. They were both drenched in blood but neither cared. All that existed was this moment. There would be a thousand more moments in a thousand more lifetimes. The weight of immortality hung heavy on both of their shoulders. Caroline knew Klaus never wanted this for his daughter. Her heart broke when she thought of the man she loved and lost. A few tears rolled down her own cheeks as she tried to imagine what he would tell her to do about Hope.

Try as she might, Caroline couldn't even begin to figure out Klaus' response. She hoped more than ever that he would one day come back to them and have the perfect thing to say. She sighed, resting her cheek on Hope's head while the teenager cried it out. Eventually, the younger girl looked up at the closest thing to a parent she had left. "What do I do now?" she asked hopelessly, her voice hoarse as she shrugged her shoulders in defeat.

Caroline kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair behind her ears. Their eyes locked, blue on blue. "Now, you go get cleaned up and I'll do the same. Then, we need to have a little chat. There are things you don't know. I think it's time you did," she said quietly, sniffling herself. Hope nodded her head and slowly made her way to her bathroom. When Caroline heard the water running, she got up and made her way to the attic where she knew Klaus' things from what was once his bedroom had been stored.

Caroline selected a pair of black sweatpants and a navy-blue Henley. Even after all these years, his clothes still carried his earthy smell that felt like home. She picked one of the many bathrooms and got herself cleaned up. She listened with her supernatural hearing to see if Hope was done. The younger girl was still in the shower, so Caroline gave her space. Once she heard the closet door close, she poked her head in. "Hey baby," the blonde said softly. "Come with me," she said as she extended her hand. When Hope took it, she intertwined their fingers and walked them down the giant staircase. Caroline's eyes fell on the floor where she and Klaus shared their first dance. He told her later he was halfway in love with her already and wasn't kidding when he offered to take her to Paris, Rome and Tokyo. Her heart ached at the memory and she couldn't help but wonder what might have been if she had left with him that night. Would they have ended up together and in love? Would they have gone their separate ways after a while? Would either of them ever had children?

Hope looked over and eyed Caroline's clothing choice before moving her gaze up to see the sadness in the blonde's eyes. "You miss him," she said softly, gesturing at the Henley and sweatpants. "My dad. You miss him."

Caroline turned to the younger girl and nodded as she gulped down her sorrow. "Every minute of every day," she confirmed, forcing a smile.

Hope nodded, giving the blonde's hand a gentle squeeze. "I miss him, too." Caroline nodded and turned her head to wipe away a stray tear. When they got to the door that led down to the basement, Hope turned to her and asked, "Where are we going, Care?"

Caroline gave her a sad smile as they made their way down the stairs. "There's something you need to see." She took a deep steadying breath before pushing aside an old wardrobe to reveal a hidden door. "Before we go in this room," she said, indicating the secret door, "I need you to promise me that you won't tell a soul anything you learn here tonight."

Hope looked at her skeptically. "Yeah, ok, sure," she said with a nod.

Caroline locked eyes with the redhead. "I'm serious, Hope. Not a soul, and especially not Josie or Lizzie."

Hope scoffed. "No problem there. I think it's safe to say Hizzie is a thing of the past, Care," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Caroline gave her a small, sad smile as she turned the handle. "Like I said, Hope, there are things you don't know." They walked into the room and the tribrid's eyes widened. It wasn't a large room, but it was full of old texts and magical items. There was a computer on an old mahogany desk she suspected had once been her father's. The desk had papers all over it, but they were all in neat little piles. Everything seemed to be meticulously organized as only Caroline could.

"What is all this?" Hope asked as she looked around.

Caroline sighed as she took a seat in a large red armchair behind the desk. "It's a long story," she began. "You'd better sit down." She held out her hand and gestured towards the fluffy green armchair in front of the desk. Hope took a seat and crossed her legs beneath her, curiosity surging through her veins. Caroline ran a hand through her wet curls as she tried to think of where to begin. "When your dad and I were travelling together in the seven years before he died, we were looking for answers."

"Yeah," Hope interjected. "I kind of figured that out." Caroline raised an eyebrow at the younger girl. She rolled her eyes before continuing. "My dad didn't exactly like being alone. It's not a secret that he was trying to find some way to get The Hollow out of my family."

Caroline smiled her sad smile once more. "Her name was Inadu, actually."

Hope rolled her eyes again. "Yeah, I'm familiar."

Caroline glared at the younger girl, who snapped her mouth shut to let the older woman speak. "She was a monster, Hope. Pure evil." Hope dropped her head to look at her hands. She knew all about that evil. It took her father away from her and they still had no idea how to bring him back. "But," she continued, "she wasn't the only evil to walk the earth. She wasn't even the first." Hope looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Caroline sighed and ran her hands through her hair again. "It started a really long time ago, way before even Inadu was born. My daughters, as you know, are from the Gemini Coven. Into each generation a set of twins is born. In that coven, on the twin's 22nd birthday, one will become the leader in a ceremony called The Merge." Hope nodded her head in understanding. "What you don't know, and what my girls don't know, is how that ceremony has to end." Caroline sniffled and blinked her eyes very fast.

Hope felt a chill shoot down her spine before landing in her stomach as a giant pit. Her voice was barely a whisper when she asked, "What's gonna happen to the twin who doesn't become the leader, Caroline?"

Caroline looked up at her and gulped. "She won't survive the ceremony." Caroline closed her eyes at the look of utter devastation on Hope's face. She was too shocked to form a coherent thought, let alone a sentence. Her heart was racing, and she could hear Caroline's doing the same. Whatever Lizzie had done, she didn't deserve to die, and neither did Josie. It was several minutes before the blonde spoke again. "When they Merge, one will absorb the power of the other and only the stronger one will survive," she said sadly.

Hope finally managed to whisper a few words. "So, on that day, either Josie or Lizzie…" she trailed off, unable to finish.

Caroline nodded her head, gulping down the ball of emotion overwhelming her throat. "One of them will die." Hope looked at her friend as the world shattered around her. The blonde knew the time had come for Hope to know everything, and she would be the one to tell her, here and now. "There was another witch named Eledain…" Hope stared wide eyed as Caroline recounted all that she knew of The Merge.

It took Caroline hours to explain all that she and Klaus had learned in those seven years, and what little she had learned in the last three. Hope sat in silence as she absorbed the horrible truth. Once Caroline finished, they sat in silence once more until Hope finally found the words to ask what she never wanted to know but had to learn. "It's Lizzie," she whispered, a far away look in her eyes. "That thing is in Lizzie, isn't it?"

"Yes," Caroline whispered back, her heart breaking. "That's why she has her episodes… why the medications have never helped." This time Hope took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her own damp curls. "As Eledain grows stronger, Lizzie's episodes will only continue to get worse until…"

"Until what, Care?" Hope interjected when the blonde trailed off. "How bad are these episodes gonna get? What's the worst-case scenario?" Caroline looked away sadly, unsure how to answer. "TELL ME!" Hope suddenly shouted, jumping to her feet. "What is the worst thing she's been able to make someone do?"

Caroline took a deep breath before turning her eyes to meet Hope's, blue on blue. "Kai Parker slaughtered his entire coven, Hope," she said gravely. The redhead felt her legs turn to jelly before flopping back down into the oversized chair. "He was their uncle. The only reason my girls survived is that the remaining Geminis used their dying breath to transfer the babies from Jo's womb to mine. The pregnancy damn near killed me, but they survived… as did Eledain"

Hope looked at her sadly, shaking her head from side to side. "Instead of saving themselves, the Gemini saved the twins just so one of them could die before they even got a chance to live?" she asked, anger filling her all of a sudden. "And it has to be Josie because some evil bitch inside Lizzie is stronger? Are you serious right now?!" she shouted. Caroline nodded for she had no words. What COULD she say? Hope jumped up again and paced in circles, wildly gesticulating with her arms. "Why, Care? Why? Why would they do that just so one of them can die? Why bother saving them at all if everything is written in the stars or some bullshit?"

"Nothing is written in the stars, Hope," Caroline said gently as her head fell back against the chair. "You know, I've asked myself why a million times and I still have no idea."

Hope turned to her and cocked her head, hand on hip. "All those years travelling with my dad, and you never found anything that could help? How much sex were you having?" she shouted.

Caroline narrowed her eyes but ignored the last comment. "I found a lot of things that might help, Hope," she replied, gesturing around the room. "And I haven't given up. I haven't given up on my girls and I haven't given up on your dad, and neither should you," she said as she set her elbows on the desk and pointed at Hope.

"Ugh!" Hope groaned. She covered her face with her hands and fell down into the chair. "It's always something! It's not bad enough that I lost BOTH of my parents and my family pretends I don't exist because no one wants to look at the poor orphan." Caroline opened her mouth, but Hope jabbed a finger in her direction. "Don't even try to deny it because you know it's true. They're all off living their long immortal lives while I stay here and rot. And if that isn't bad enough, now I find out in one night that not only am I immortal, too, but my EX girlfriend is walking around possessed!" she ranted in exasperation.

Caroline reached over the desk and took Hope's hand. "Don't give up on Lizzie, baby. This isn't her."

Hope ripped her hand away. "So, what, that just makes it ok that she KILLED me? It's not like she stole my idea for senior project, Caroline. I fucking died! She threw me over a balcony and broke my neck!"

Caroline sighed, leaning back in her chair. "I know, Hope. I know. No, it's not ok. What she did was terrible and I'm sure she'll never forgive herself, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't."

Hope scoffed. "Yeah, ok, Care. How would you like it if my dad killed you, huh?"

Caroline smirked in amusement. "He tried," she said, holding up two fingers. "Twice." Hope dropped her jaw and gave her an incredulous look. "The first time he ordered one of his hybrids, who I was dating at the time, to bite me. He wanted to manipulate my mom into supporting him when he moved to town. He didn't plan on saving me, but I guess that was the night he noticed me," she said, a tiny smile forming on her face at the memory. "The second time was right after your Uncle Kol was killed. Your dad lost it, so Bonnie trapped him in the Gilbert living room for days. He was stuck staring at his dead brother, and I was a real bitch to him." She paused for a moment. "In my defense, he totally deserved it though. Anyway, he did his thing where he acts out when he's hurt," she said, giving Hope a pointed look, "and he bit me himself."

"Don't give me that look! I am NOT 'acting out,'" Hope spit out, making finger quotes. Caroline raised an eyebrow at the younger girl. Hope shot her a death glare and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked at the blonde sideways before asking, "So, how did you get him to give you his blood?"

Caroline smirked. "I told him that I knew he was in love with me," she reminisced. "And anyone capable of love can be saved." She looked at Hope with that same sad smile. "And I was right. I believed that then and I believe that now. He WAS in love with me. It took me a really long time to realize it, but that was the day I fell in love with him, too."

Hope looked at her and shook her head side to side in disbelief. "How could you love him when he did that to you?"

The blonde vampire sighed. She had spent a lot of time wondering that herself. "Well for one thing, it took me a really long time to figure that out. The first time we said the words, we were in the Alps and I literally screamed them in his face," she said, laughing at Hope's shocked expression. "Your dad didn't make it easy to love him, that's for sure, and I know Lizzie doesn't either."

Hope looked down at her hands folded in her lap. Caroline knew she was getting to the younger girl, so she continued. "You can't love somebody, I mean REALLY love somebody, unless you learn to love ALL of them: the beauty and the misery. Your dad did a lot of bad things… like, a way lot. But that wasn't all there was to him. Underneath all that rage and pain was a guy with more love than he knew what to do with… until we came along," she added with a soft smile.

Caroline got up from her chair and walked around to the other side of the desk. She sat on the edge and took Hope's hand. "Your dad had all that rage in him because terrible things happened to him, things he never asked for. Lizzie did a terrible thing because she was born with evil already inside of her, evil SHE didn't ask for." Hope finally looked up and made eye contact with the vampire. "I can't tell you what to do here, Hope. All I can tell you is that there is more to a person than the things they've done. If you hold out waiting for that one perfect person who never did a bad thing, you're going to be waiting for a very long time, baby." She reached down and tucked a tendril behind the redhead's ear as their eyes connected.

Looking down, Hope said softly, "I guess I have a very long time, don't I? At least now I know." Her voice was sad as she thought about the promise she couldn't keep. Caroline squeezed her hand, silently offering support. Hope sniffed and wiped away a tear. "This isn't what I wanted, you know? Immortality?" She shook her head side to side, her face turning into a frown as she fought back the tears she knew were coming. "There are so many things that I have never wanted in my life, Care, things I didn't ask for either." Caroline squeezed her hand again, giving her space to process. "I didn't ask to be a tribrid miracle baby. I didn't ask for my parents to die for me. I didn't ask to live forever and I sure as HELL didn't ask to fall in love with somebody destined to destroy the world!"

Hope cried out in frustration at all the injustice she'd faced in just 18 years. "What do I do, huh?" she asked, shrugging. "I find out about all this shit on top of all the other shit I already knew and now all I have is a great big pile of shit! It's not right and it isn't fair. And don't say life isn't fair, because I figured that one out a long fucking time ago, ok?" Hope pulled her hand away and locked her hands behind her neck as she looked up at the ceiling. "I can't just… leave her… and let this evil bitch get her. And it's only going to get worse the closer they get to The Merge!" She paused as she thought about what to do. What would her dad say to do? Or her mom? "I love her, Care," she said quietly as she shrugged again, tears in her eyes. "I love her. What am I supposed to do with that?"

Caroline smiled a gentle smile, trying hard not to cry herself. "You live with it, Hope," she said with a shrug of her own. "You live and you love. You love while you can," she said softly, caressing the younger girl's cheek, her own mind filled with thoughts of Klaus. "And you keep this to yourself for now. Like I said, I haven't given up on either problem. I don't know how it's going to happen, but somehow we are going to bring back your dad and save my girls… someday," she added with a sigh.

The blonde headmistress put a finger under Hope's chin and tilted it up to lock their eyes together. "But that day is not today, Hope. For now, just go home to the school. Find Lizzie or don't. It's up to you, but don't drop anger here, baby," she said with a soft shake of her blonde head. "You might be immortal, but that doesn't mean you have time to waste hating the world because there are things you can't control. I love my daughter, but I love you, too, Hope Andrea Mikaelson. No matter what you decide, that's never going to change," she promised.

Hope nodded her head and wiped away a tear as she stood. Caroline pulled her into a hug and kissed her temple the same way Klaus always did to her. It never failed to bring her comfort, and she hoped it did the same with his daughter. Hope buried her face in Caroline's chest for a long while before pulling back and nodding through a watery smile. "I think I'm gonna go home," she said, her voice cracking. "I want to find Lizzie." Caroline smiled at her, so proud of the woman she had become. "Thanks for the talk, and for telling me about all of this," she added, gesticulating around the room. "I'm in, just so you know." She reached out and squeezed Caroline's hand before looking deep into her eyes. "I'm in."

Hope let go of Caroline's hand and headed up the stairs and out to her Tesla. She exhaled a deep breath and drove to the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted. Her mind was whirling with all that she had learned. She hated that she had to keep this from everyone, but at least she had Caroline. She had no idea how, but deep down she knew that this was only the beginning. The end was a long, long way away for her now. Longer than she ever wanted. But Caroline was right, she had to live, and she had to love.

Josie looked up when the door to her and Lizzie's attic bedroom creaked open. "Hope," she said, startled. "I didn't think you'd be coming back… I mean, tonight, at least. I didn't think you'd be coming back tonight… Are you ok?" she asked in a loud whisper. Her blonde twin was sound asleep next to where she sat. There was a trash can full of tissues next to the bed. Lizzie had obviously cried herself to sleep with her sister by her side.

Hope nodded slowly, trying to figure out whether she was or not. "I had a long talk," she said as she walked over and lay down next to Lizzie. "With your mom," she finished.

Josie got up and lay down on her own bed a few feet away and pulled up the covers. It had taken Lizzie hours to cry it out before finally falling asleep. Josie was beyond exhausted and had never been more relieved to see the tribrid in her life. "It must have been a good talk," she said, surprise evident in her voice.

Hope nodded and burrowed under the covers, pulling Lizzie to her. "It was," she whispered back. She kissed the blonde's forehead and held her tight.

Lizzie looked up, startled that she wasn't alone. Her eyes were red from all the crying and her face was puffy. "Hope? You're here?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm so sorry. I-"

"I know, sweetie," she whispered back before she kissed her forehead again. "I know. We can talk about it tomorrow. Go back to sleep."

Lizzie pecked Hope on the lips before nuzzling into her chest. "I love you, Hope," she whispered as her eyes fell closed.

Hope gave her a tight squeeze and smiled over at Josie's gentle smile. The tribrid had to swallow the lump in her throat as she thought about The Merge. The brunette rolled over and fell right asleep, leaving Hope alone with her thoughts. Several minutes passed by as information flew through her mind. Eventually the rhythmic sound of the twin's breathing began to lull her to sleep. "I love you, too, Lizzie," she whispered before closing her own eyes.

A/N Well, what did you guys think? I hope that answered some questions! This was a hard one to write. Please let me know what you thought!


	9. No Fight Left in Me

A/N I'm back gentle readers! Thank you guys SO much for all the support and reviews! I'm so glad you like the story. This is the longest I've gone between updates. I'm sorry! I'm back working with a very specific type of mental illness and it can be kinda draining, but I love it. I've also been working on several other projects if you'd like to check them out. Please tell me what you think! Also, a big thank you to my friend, DarkGhostLight for her amazing ideas for this story!

Chapter Eight – No Fight Left in Me

Richmond, VA – 2023

Few things could get Klaus Mikaelson moving faster than a frantic Facetime from Caroline Forbes. She called him outside of a burning barn clutching her nine-year-old daughter, Lizzie, to her chest as the child lay unconscious. Lizzie's tantrums had been building in intensity for some time, but this was the worst one yet, and it would keep getting worse until there was no Lizzie left, just Eledain. Klaus knew then that something had to be done, but what? That dilemma was what he contemplated as he flashed by foot from northern Florida to the capital of Virginia. He couldn't risk getting any closer to Hope in Mystic Falls. He wasn't far and hoped that Caroline would be at the hotel he booked for them when she called to tell him she needed to get Lizzie out of town.

Caroline explained that Alaric Saltzman, one of Klaus' least favorite people on earth, found his twins playing with their parent's wedding china. Josie tried to explain that they needed the teacups for their stuffed animals to have a tea party. Alaric was having none of it. He'd been drinking with Damon Salvatore, as usual. When he came home, he found the girls in an old barn on the edge of the Salvatore property. The twins were sitting with half a dozen dolls and stuffed animals around a hay bale. Caroline hadn't heard his version and she didn't care to. She gathered from Josie that their father lost his temper and screamed at them. Josie, of course, apologized over and over. Lizzie did what was usual for her: she got angry.

When Lizzie got angry, the world fell to its knees. She had broken many things in her short life and even broken a few bones when she flung people against walls for minute offenses. She had been able to light candles with foot tall flames since preschool. This time fire erupted in the middle of the hay bale. Within minutes, the entire barn was on fire. Luckily, Josie had managed to escape and screamed loudly enough that Caroline heard her from the school. She flashed to the barn and pulled Alaric and Lizzie out just before the roof collapsed.

Alaric was in a rage like none of them had ever seen. Since Caroline had told him what she learned about The Merge in the Dolomites, Alaric had come to hate the darkness in his blonde daughter. That night it was like he forgot Lizzie was still in there. He made the mistake of grabbing her by the shoulders and she flung him against a tree. The blonde vampire didn't know if he was alive or dead and neither she nor Klaus particularly cared. She'd had no choice but to subdue her daughter. She covered her mouth until she stopped fighting and passed out. Caroline held her own breath while she waited for Lizzie's chest to rise and fall. Thankfully, her plan had worked, and the young girl remained asleep long enough for Caroline to give her a sleeping pill that dissolved under her tongue.

Hope heard the commotion and came running. While she wasn't as fast as a full vampire, she flashed quite well. She took one look at the scene and flashed Josie back to the school after sharing a brief nod with Caroline. Klaus had called his sister Freya to get there as fast as possible and take both Hope and Josie back to New Orleans for the time being. She and Hayley Marshall would be landing in Mystic Falls any minute via private jet.

When Klaus finally got to the hotel, the hybrid leapt to the balcony of the penthouse and ripped open the balcony door. He was on top of Caroline in an instant, holding her so closely that she squeaked in pain when he accidentally broke a rib. He pulled back with a muttered apology and looked her over. Her rib had knitted itself back together by the time Klaus had finished his inspection. Satisfied that she and Lizzie were both safe, he let out a harsh exhale and inhaled a deep breath to calm his still racing undead heart. Both girls were covered in soot and parts of their clothes were scorched, but they were otherwise intact. Lizzie was tucked beneath the thick hotel comforter, sleeping soundly. He pulled Caroline into his arms again and neither moved for a long while.

Caroline was the first to pull back. She looked up at Klaus and he had never seen her more broken. He felt his own heart shatter when he looked deep into her stormy blue eyes and found them clouded with heartbreak. He tucked an ashy curl behind her ear and kissed her tenderly on the corner of her pink lips. He picked her up and carried her into the bathroom. He set her down on the white marble counter and turned on the faucet in the large jacuzzi tub. He stripped off his own clothes first. She may have been the one covered in soot, but he wasn't any cleaner after flashing across several states on foot. He made a mental note to have someone deliver fresh clothes in the morning. For tonight, there were several fluffy bath robes that would have to do.

Klaus poured in some scented oil and bubble bath before walking back to Caroline and standing between her knees. He lifted her long-sleeved peasant blouse over her messy curls and tossed it aside, the rest of her clothes joining soon after. He picked her up and set her down in the hot soapy water before quickly climbing in himself. He pulled her back to his chest and she let her head fall back against his muscular shoulder. He whispered words of love and showered her neck, back and shoulders with kisses as he washed her hair and body. When she was finally clean, she flipped over and straddled him to do the same.

Once they were both clean, Caroline wrapped her arms around his slippery neck and kissed him passionately on the lips. "Thank you for coming," she whispered, pulling back to look in his cerulean blue eyes.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, love," he replied, pulling her to him by her freshly conditioned yellow hair that always reminded him of sunshine. He wrapped his other arm around her tightly and kissed her deeply, a hungry man starving for reassurance that the love of his life was alive and well in his arms. He slid his hands down to her waist and slowly lifted her, bringing her back down on top of his erection. There was often something frenzied in the way they had sex, but this was different. This was making love. This was necessary. This was solace.

It wasn't long before Caroline came all around him, his own orgasm right behind hers. She rested her head on his shoulder and he buried his face in her neck, holding her close. By the time they finally got out, checked on Lizzie, and found their own bed in the next room, it was well past midnight. Klaus pulled her naked body to his, her damp hair resting on his toned chest. He gently stroked her bare shoulder as he considered his words. "This can't happen again, Caroline," he whispered into the heated hotel room, March snow falling against the windows.

Caroline sighed. "I know, but what am I supposed to do, Klaus? I can't just sedate her for the next dozen years."

Klaus exhaled through his nose. "I called my brother, Kol," he began softly. Caroline's eyebrows shot up as she looked up at him. Klaus and Kol weren't on the best of terms before the Mikaelson siblings separated. As far as she knew, they hadn't talked since parting ways in New Orleans years before. She knew Klaus carried around a lot of guilt about the years he kept his brothers and sister in coffins now that he finally understood the true meaning of always and forever. He'd never told her, but a week after they all said goodbye, Rebekah and Kol had each received a dagger in the mail with his promise that he would never use them again. Hayley held Elijah's, waiting for the day he found his way back to her.

Caroline knew the far off look in her lover's eyes well enough to wait for him to come back to the present on his own. He shook his head to clear his mind of painful memories several minutes later but still didn't meet her eyes. "He knows a witch in Catalonia that may be able to help," he said softly, a sharp pain in his chest. "But he warned you may not like what she has to offer."

Caroline's face turned into a confused frown. "What does that mean? What's she offering?"

Klaus was a master manipulator. He hated lying to her more than just about anything, but he needed her to at least consider what he knew she would reject. "He didn't say exactly, but I think we should go and find out," he lied smoothly, kissing the top of her head. "And we need to do it soon, sweetheart," he added, his tone melancholy but authoritative. Caroline sighed, her eyelids shutting even as she tried to hold them open by sheer force of will. He kissed her head again, letting his lips linger as he whispered, "Go to sleep, love. Tomorrow will be better, I promise." The blonde vampire nodded her head before drifting off to a heavy sleep. The Original Hybrid had no such luck, guilt forming a heavy lump in his stomach. She was going to hate this, but it had to be done.

Catalonia, Spain – 2023

Klaus still hated flying. His private jet landed with a jerk on the runway as he arrived in the Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport. He leapt from his seat as soon as the wheels stopped. He couldn't wait to see Caroline again. He had seen her for several long weekend getaways, including their recent overnight in Richmond, but this was their first lengthy vacation since the horrors they faced in the Italian Dolomite mountain range just over a year and a half ago.

It had taken five agonizing weeks for Caroline to smooth things over in Mystic Falls with Alaric, who much to Klaus' own personal dismay had survived, and to make arrangements to be gone for two weeks. It had taken longer than anticipated for Caroline to feel safe leaving her daughters with their volatile father. Freya was currently inhabiting the Mikaelson Mansion to help keep an eye on Lizzie (and Alaric) and augment Hope's magical lessons, although Caroline had been careful to omit Klaus' involvement. Neither of them had shared their relationship with anyone. Judgement was one more complication they didn't need. With any luck, they would be going home with at least some solution to one of their many problems.

The Original Hybrid had lived more than a dozen lifetimes, but never had time dragged on as endlessly as it had since he reconnected with his blonde girlfriend… if that was even the right word. What was the appropriate title for two immortals dedicated to spending their endless lives together? Eternal life partners? He wasn't sure, nor did he care too much. Caroline could call him whatever she wanted as long as she called him something. His undead face lit up in a smile when he saw her golden curls bobbing up and down as she waved to him from the baggage claim.

Klaus dropped his suitcase and ran to her as fast as he dared in an airport full of humans. She met him halfway and almost knocked him over by catapulting into his arms and wrapping her jean clad legs around his waist. He quickly found his footing and spun her around and around, her girlish giggles echoing around the crowded airport. "Hello love," he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek. "I take it this means you're happy to see me?" he joked, thankful that she had apparently left some of her misery across the ocean.

Caroline rolled her eyes at him in the way only she could and not have them plucked from her skull. "Shut up and kiss me, idiot," she laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and attacking his mouth with hers. He returned her passion tenfold, quickly dominating their intense kiss, tongues dancing as people rushed all around them.

"As elated as I am at your enthusiasm, we are in a crowded room full of humans with prying eyes," he pointed out, kissing her on the lips again.

"We can compel them. You take men, I take women," she teased, biting his lower lip. He narrowed his eyes and flashed her a devilish smirk. She rolled her eyes again, climbing out of his arms and locking her arm with his as they walked to the parking garage. "I should know better than to joke about compulsion en masse around you by now. Knowing you, you probably would compel them all if it meant you could have me right here right now."

Klaus barked out a laugh. "Oh, I would absolutely compel them all," he confirmed, tossing her a sideways smirk as she beeped open the doors of their rental car. "However, now that we're in a parking garage, it seems unnecessary," he said, his voice smooth. Caroline pushed the ignition button, the red of the car's exterior matching her blush when she remembered their Italian reunion at the airport in Turin. Taking her hand in his, he leaned over and nibbled the shell of her ear, whispering, "Although I may be able to restrain myself until we get to the hotel… provided you step on it." Caroline grinned and bit her lower lip as she pressed the accelerator to the floor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Caroline woke up the next morning in her favorite place in the world: naked in the arms of Klaus Mikaelson. She rolled over and rested her head on his muscular chest. Looking up, she saw that, as usual, he was already awake and calmly watching her. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up to stretch. He propped himself up on an elbow and tugged the sheet down to expose her breasts, idly playing with a nipple. "I've been awake for thirty seconds and you're already seducing me," she teased.

Klaus smirked and pinched, making her yelp. "It was a long thirty seconds, sweetheart." He suddenly tugged hard on her nipple and pulled her on her back, instantly flashing on top of her. He captured her mouth in a deep kiss, nibbling her lower lip, one hand caressing her perky breast. Hovering over her, he pecked her once more on the lips before whispering as he ground into her, "Good morning, Caroline."

Caroline stifled a yawn and stretched again, wrapping her arms around his neck. Pulling him to her, she kissed him just as deeply. "Well," she teased in between kisses, "it would be if you'd find something to do with your mouth besides talking." Klaus' eyes flashed yellow before harshly claiming her lips, his tongue dominating her mouth. He pinned her wrists over her head and bound them to the headboard with a shred remaining from the pillowcase they destroyed the night before.

Klaus looked down at her, eyes yellow, "As you wish," he whispered, lips grazing hers as he spoke. Caroline's face split into a grin that quickly morphed into an o shape when Klaus bit her on the neck, lightly sipping her blood until the wound closed. He met her eyes and smirked as he began his descent down her body, pausing to nip his wrist and feed her a few drops of his hybrid blood, making her moan at her favorite taste. He stopped to extensively play with each nipple, fingers and mouth alternating amidst pinches and nips. She moaned out loud when his fingers slipped between her folds as he continued his way kissing down her belly.

Klaus groaned when he tasted her, circling his tongue over her clit. He idly thought that he could dine on the forever seventeen blonde for all eternity and never be sated. He traced a finger around her warm center before pushing it inside and hooking it to hit her favorite spot. Her back arched, pushing her clit deeper into his mouth. He used the opportunity to nip at her, making her jump. She strained against the cotton bindings. He peeked his head up from between her thighs and gave her a warning look. She smiled sheepishly, biting her lower lip between her teeth to stifle her naughty grin.

Caroline gasped when he added a second finger and began rapidly thrusting in and out of her, nibbling and sucking her throbbing bundle of nerves. "Don't come yet, Caroline," he hummed, vibrations thrumming through her. She groaned and bit her tongue to keep from cursing at him. He continued pumping into her at a punishing rhythm. He latched on to her little bud and attacked it with his tongue pointed, pushing her higher and higher. Her back arched again as her knees began to shake. He pulled her closer to him, pinning her in place as he ravaged her inside and out.

Klaus added a third finger when he knew she was about to come undone. She cried out when he hit her favorite spot over and over at vampire speed. "Come," he growled out, sucking hard on her clit. As soon as her walls began to crash all around his fingers, he bit her hard, piercing her femoral artery with his double fangs. He felt her come harder and harder as he drank deeply from her inner thigh. Once he had his fill, he returned his mouth to her clit to gently help her come back down, her entire body heaving, spots flying behind her eyes from the intensity of her morning orgasm.

Klaus smirked at the look on her face as she caught her breath from behind closed eyelids. He climbed on top of her and tugged her wrists free of her bindings. He kissed her on the forehead before pulling her into his arms. "Good morning, love," he said pleasantly, as though he hadn't just driven her to madness.

Caroline huffed out a high-pitched laugh in between panting breaths. "Ha," she chuckled. She rolled over and buried her face in his chest. He kissed her on the top of the head and stroked her back while she came back down from the clouds. Eventually, she smiled up at him and pecked him on the lips. When he pulled back, her smile was mischievous, prompting him to raise a questioning eyebrow at her. She stood up and tugged him by the hand. "My turn," she said in a sultry whisper. She giggled at his giddy expression when she dragged him into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Klaus pushed his little blonde vampire under the steaming water and pinned her against the tile wall, kissing her as it cascaded all around their naked bodies. He wasted no time pinning her hands above her head, fingers intertwined with his. He moved down her throat and nipped and kissed her neck as he ground into her. She pulled back and wiggled her eyebrows at him, nodding to the tile floor. He smirked and let her fall to her knees. He wound his long artist's fingers into her soaked blonde curls. She looked up at him from beneath her long, wet lashes. He rubbed his head across her lips and nudged her lips apart, pulling her mouth all the way down to the base.

Caroline hummed deep in her throat when the Original's salty flavor hit her tongue. She licked him up and down, savoring the taste that had become her favorite delicacy, second only to his magical blood. He moved her head back and forth, setting the pace. She wrapped her hand around him and moved up and down in time with her skilled mouth. He closed his eyes and groaned while she swallowed him over and over. She swirled her tongue around all of his favorite spots. This had become her favorite way to start the day. He was way better than a shot of espresso.

Klaus let her bob up and down until he felt himself nearing the edge. Without warning, he yanked her up by her hair and threw her up against the wall. He kissed her deeply and thrust into her as soon as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She gasped when she felt him enter her, almost falling apart on the spot. She threw her head back against the hot tile as he ravished her neck with hard nips and licks to soothe out the pain. He drilled into her, their hips snapping together as she matched his movements with her own.

Klaus pumped into her at a punishing rhythm as he controlled her mouth with his dominating tongue. He snaked a hand in between their lower bellies and circled his thumb around her clit, making her cry out. He pulled away from her mouth and worked his way over to her ear as he continued to violently take her against the shower wall, hitting her secret spot deep inside her warm center. "Come for me, sweetheart," he cooed in her ear. She let go of a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when her orgasm crashed down around her, squeezing Klaus tightly within her pink shuddering walls.

The hybrid bit into his wrist and shoved it to her mouth, wordlessly commanding her to drink with a stern gaze. She wasted no time obeying and drank deeply from him while she came even harder with the addition of his hot blood. He continued to drill into her as she came undone all around him, locks of his dirty blonde curls tight between her fingers. When he felt her start to come down, he slammed into her at vamp speed until he felt his seed shoot deep within her. He bit into her neck and gulped down hot bursts of her blood while he came down from his own release.

Klaus finally let go of her neck and rested their foreheads together, both of them gasping and heaving. Caroline clung to him lifelessly, completely spent. He slowly washed her hair as her head rested on his powerful shoulder. By the time he was done washing her body, she had recovered enough to do the same for him. Once they were done, they got out, got dressed and walked out of the hotel hand in hand to face the Spanish sunlight.

By the time they had a bite of real food, it was well into the afternoon. Klaus smiled down at her as they walked across a long cobblestone bridge. Smiling her sweet smile back, Caroline commented, "This whole city feels like it fell out of a fairy tale."

"Peratallada could very well have been the home of several fairy tales, but with your interest in folk lore, I suspect you know that already," he teased, bumping his hip into hers playfully.

Caroline bumped him back and rolled her eyes. "Guilty," she replied in her musical voice, giggling when her smile drew out his dimples. Nobody ever looked at her like Klaus Mikaelson. With him, she wasn't just his first choice, he was her only choice. "But this is your discovery. Tell me what we're looking for again?" she asked as they walked down the streets in the old neighborhood made of stone buildings and flower gardens.

Klaus' expression fell for a brief second before he covered it with a playful smirk and flashed her up against a stone column. He kissed her deeply and nipped her hard on the neck before bouncing off of her, tugging her into him for a twirling hug. He lost himself in the sound of her girlish laughter. He hated keeping anything from her, but if he hadn't, she wouldn't be here now, and he needed her to consider what Kol's witch had to say. He had taken a chance calling his little brother about something related to Caroline, but he knew Kol well enough to know he wouldn't ask and wouldn't tell… mostly because he didn't really care what Klaus got up to as long as it didn't involve daggers and coffins.

Caroline was young, still in her first century, but Klaus had been undead for a millennium. He had seen a dozen situations just like The Merge and they never had a happy ending. Few times in his long life had he ever seen a happy ending and he had never experienced one himself. It was only in the few short years since Hope's birth that he had had a small taste of happiness and that had been ripped away over and over. Not a day passed by that he didn't wonder sadly if he would ever hold his daughter again. He hadn't heard her voice in years now... not since the day she projected to him and found him mid-murder.

At the end of the day, that's all Klaus Mikaelson was: a murderer. Caroline was the only person not bound by blood who knew that and loved him anyway. He loved her, too, more than he ever thought he could. He hadn't even known what it meant to love someone unconditionally before he became a father, but he knew now, and that love extended beyond Hope and now encompassed the blonde vampire skipping along the cobblestones a few feet ahead of him. She was asking him about all the flora and fauna. She questioned him everywhere they went because he had already been everywhere at least once.

A large Iberian lynx crossed their paths and Caroline yelped, jumping out of the way. Klaus laughed and pulled her to him for a one-armed hug, kissing the top of her head. "You startle too easily, sweetheart," he teased. She narrowed her eyes at him, growling playfully in the back of her throat. "It's just a little cat."

Caroline lightly pushed him away, glaring and pointing her finger. "That was NOT a 'little cat,'" she complained, making finger quotes. "That thing was a freakin' monster!"

Klaus laughed out loud at her antics. "I'm quite certain you and I are the monsters," he joked, his hybrid eyes flashing yellow at her just before he flashed her into another crumbling yellow brick column and kissed her again. As soon as she wrapped her arms around him, he attacked her with his fingers, making her scream into their floral surroundings.

"Klaus! Stop it!" she laughed as he continued to tickle her in between heated kisses. She slapped at him, but he easily swatted her hands away, twisting them behind her back as he spun her around. His playful kisses turned into nibbles on the side of her neck as he wrapped an arm around her chest and pulled her to him. She rested her head back against his toned muscles to grant easier access to her neck, her creamy skin silky smooth. His hand snuck its way up her shirt and found its way to her nipples, pinching one beneath her skimpy bra.

Caroline sighed when he released her hands, pinning them between her back and his torso with his arm over her chest. He glided his fingers down her cotton skater dress, tickling her thighs with the back of his nails as he lifted the fabric and reached into her leggings. She moaned when his finger found her clit, already drenched. "You're soaking wet for me, love," he whispered in her ear, his voice husky with desire. She hummed and nodded her head, tilting her head to the side to encourage his exploration of her neck.

Klaus dipped a finger inside of her. She sighed happily, leaning into his heated touch. He played with her breasts, pinching her occasionally. He leaned down and kissed her from behind, his pelvis grinding into her. He slipped in a second finger and moved in and out as much as he could with her panties restricting his movements. Growing bored of his limitations, he quickly ripped the thin fabric away to allow him more room in her lightweight leggings. He pounded his fingers into her while his tongue overwhelmed her mouth, making her gasp.

Caroline felt her knees start to weaken under his talented hands, moaning out loud as she neared her peak. He pulled out to rub her clit up and down, making her pant in his arms. He suddenly thrust deep into her and whispered in her ear, "Come for me, Caroline." The way he rolled the r in her name was the final push she needed to tumble over the edge and fall into a massive orgasm. He bit into her neck, greedily sipping from her vein as she rode out her high on his fingers. She was just starting to come out of it when they heard a throat clearing behind them.

Klaus pulled out and tugged her bright red skater skirt down over her thighs. He laved his tongue over her rapidly closing fang marks and pulled his mouth away after licking off the last drops of her crimson blood. His eyes faded to blue as he turned them around, one arm still slung protectively across her chest as they looked to see who had intruded on their private moment in the Spanish countryside. A single drop of blood rolled down his chin as he eyed the stranger up and down. "Miquella, I presume?" he asked in his silky British accent.

The witch was older than they appeared in their immortality. Klaus guessed she was around fifty but aging well. She had long braided black hair and beautiful golden skin, her complexion so flawless that it reminded him of his older sister and her aging spells. She was wearing a light black coat over long black dress pants and a red chiffon blouse with kimono sleeves and smart black leather boots. Around her neck hung a large opal in a gold setting with diamonds encrusted below the stone. She was barely over five feet tall, but Klaus suspected she wasn't one to be trifled with.

The woman smiled at them and extended her hand, which Caroline shook first and then Klaus. "Miquella Bonic-Bruixa at your service. Klaus and Caroline?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Caroline nodded, returning her smile. "Come. We should speak privately. There's an old tower up the hill. I've spelled it silent." She turned to walk up the pretty pathway, the Catalonian sun beginning to set. Klaus held Caroline's hand, praying it wouldn't be the last time. His heart split when she flashed him a loving smile, her eyes adoring. He smiled back but quickly averted his eyes lest she see his deception.

The trio walked up the hill in companionable silence for the better part of an hour before finally reaching the castle-like crumbling stone structure buried deep amidst the spring flowers. Miquella muttered a few foreign words under her breath before speaking. "I have the amulet you asked for, Mr. Mikaelson." She pulled the opal necklace over her head, the amulet hanging on thin gold rope chain. Klaus held out his hand and quickly pocketed it.

Caroline frowned at his strange behavior and even stranger facial expression, a sense of foreboding falling over her. Turning to the witch, she asked, "I have to tell you Miquella, I'm really not sure what I'm supposed to do with it."

Miquella raised her eyebrow at Klaus, but he looked away. "First the amulet has to be awakened. You will need the blood of the witch performing the spell as well as the witch for whom the amulet is intended. The spell has to be performed outdoors under the right celestial event, so you'll need to plan ahead. If you miss it by even an hour, the amulet won't awaken properly," she explained. "You will also need the blood of the doppelgänger, but I'm told you have one available?" she asked. Klaus nodded once in confirmation.

Caroline looked to Klaus, her stomach dropping. When he didn't meet her eyes, she turned to the witch. "How much blood?"

The Spanish woman didn't seem to understand Caroline's sudden concern. Raising an eyebrow, she replied, "Just a few drops. Is that a problem?"

Caroline exhaled in a whoosh of relief. Shaking her head, she responded, "No, no, a few drops should be fine." She frowned, a thought occurring to her. "It's not a problem if the doppelgänger has died a couple of times, is it?"

Miquella's eyebrows shot up and she looked at Caroline as if she had never been asked a stranger question. "Ummm… I can't say I have ever been asked such a thing, but I suppose not. The doppelgänger is alive now, correct?" Caroline shrugged and nodded. The lives and deaths of Elena Salvatore was too much to explain in one sitting. "Then it shouldn't be a problem. But make sure you save some blood so you can deactivate it when it's time. The spell is fairly simple. You'll need some basic herbs and stones, but the blood is the key to activate the amulet's power."

Caroline shook her head, her face displaying her confusion. "I'm sorry, but what does it need to be activated for? What's it do?"

The black-haired woman squinted her eyes and gave her a pitying look. "It has to be activated with the blood of the witch who's powers are to be suppressed."

Caroline again looked to Klaus, but he wouldn't look at her, fear and shame filling him. "What do you mean 'suppressed?'" she asked, making finger quotes with her free hand.

Miquella gave her that same pitying glance. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was my understanding that you have a daughter filled with black magic passed down through the generations." She gave Caroline a chance to speak, but Caroline just nodded. "And the magic is taking over?" Another nod. "And you want the dark magic to stop once and for all?" Nod. "Then the first thing to do is trap the evil spirit in one body so it can't keep jumping down the blood line."

Caroline slowly nodded her head. "Ok, well that sounds simple enough. You activate this amulet and it traps Eledain and Lizzie becomes, what? Like a regular witch or would she still be a siphon?"

"There's a bit more to it than that, love," Klaus finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. Caroline shot her gaze to him and he looked at her sadly. She was about to hate him, and he knew it, but it had to be done. "The only way to stop Eledain is to cut Lizzie's ties to magic." When she looked at him blankly, he knew he was going to have to elaborate, and he absolutely did not want to say it out loud. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he explained, "Caroline, the amulet is designed to sever the link between them and magic as a whole, which is why it requires the blood of the doppelgänger."

Caroline's jaw dropped when realization hit her, horror filling her lungs so quickly that she couldn't breathe. Miquella looked from Klaus to Caroline with confusion evident on her face. "I'm sorry, Mr. Mikaelson. I was under the impression Kol had given you the specifics of the cost of the amulet's power." Klaus' eyes widened as Caroline ripped her hand out of his, betrayal written on her porcelain face. Before he could open his mouth in his defense, she took off down the cobblestone path.

Klaus tossed a money clip of hundred-dollar bills and nodded at the witch before flashing after Caroline. She had run off at a flash herself, but with his hybrid senses he was easily able to track her. He followed her until she finally stopped in an alley surrounded by high buildings made of yellow bricks. "Sweetheart, please," he began, approaching her slowly. She was still as stone, staring at the wall with her back towards him.

When Caroline rounded on him, her eyes were made of fire. "You knew!?" she shouted, vocal tone rising. "You knew what this THING would do to my baby? And you didn't think that was worth mentioning BEFORE I flew to Spain?"

Klaus sighed, one hand on his hip as the other dragged his fingers through his dirty blonde curls. "Would you have come?"

"No!" Caroline screeched immediately. "No, Klaus, I am not BINDING my daughter! How can YOU, of all people, even consider this a possibility?"

Klaus' eyes flashed as the memory of his own millennium of torment filled his mind. "It isn't the same, Caroline," he said softly, trying to restrain himself from lashing out at her. "I would wish my fate on no one, least of all your daughter. I realize it isn't ideal and I'm not saying you have to use the amulet, but it is an option worth exploring."

"It's a BAD option!" she growled, glaring at him as she crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "The world is FULL of options. One of them has to be better than this crap. The entire reason Ric and I built the school is to teach our daughters to EMBRACE their heritage. The last thing I will EVER do is cut Lizzie off from her magic! I love her way too much for that," she ranted stubbornly. "They're not even teenagers yet! We still have plenty of time to find a way to stop all of this."

Klaus closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled a deep breath. He loved her, but she could be trying. "There may be other options, Caroline, and we will continue looking into them, but there are certain realities you cannot continue to ignore. It's only a matter of time before she kills someone, maybe Josie, or Hope, or even you," he pointed out, his heart racing. "You're still very young, as are your children. I know a decade may seem like a very long time, but I assure you that it is not. I've lived a hundred decades, more. You have already BEEN searching for a decade. I know you don't want to, but it's time you considered the possibility-"

"The possibility of WHAT, Klaus?!" she roared, vampire features flaring up on her porcelain face as she flashed the few feet between them. "Tell me, oh wise one," she snarled sarcastically, "What could there be that I haven't been considering for YEARS?"

Klaus sighed sadly. He'd been putting off this moment all day… he'd been putting it off for years, actually. He reached out to caress her cheek, but she slapped his hand away. He bit down an instinctive growl at the harsh contact and closed his eyes for a few seconds to compose himself once again. "The possibility that things aren't going to work out the way we want them to, sweetheart," he said gently, placing a tender hand on her arm.

Caroline recoiled from him as if she had been burned. "What are you saying?" The immortal hybrid shrugged, defeated. He had no more words. Klaus' heart was shattered glass as he watched the weight of his silence cross her face. She knew. The moment it hit her, she gasped, and a manicured hand flew to her cherry lips. "You don't think we can save them, do you?" He reached out to touch her, but she shoved him back with enough force to send him flying through the air, his back slamming into the faded brick wall. Klaus quickly recovered and brushed the dust off his jeans, but by the time he got up, Caroline was gone.

Mystic Falls – December 2031

Two and a Half Years Later

Caroline Forbes rested her head against the window of her blonde daughter's bedroom in the Mikaelson Mansion, raindrops cascading down the stained glass in rivulets. The frozen weather matched her mood. Lizzie was home from Whitmore College for the holidays. Hope Mikaelson and the blonde vampire had tried their best to keep Lizzie from moving away, but without telling her about The Merge, they hadn't been able to make a sufficient argument to keep her in Mystic Falls.

Hope frequently made the two-and-a-half-hour drive to McKinley, VA to see her girlfriend. She'd used a negligible portion of her massive inheritance to buy a small house for the Saltzman twins and Josie's girlfriend, Penelope. Unbeknownst to the girls, Hope also bought the house across the street and gave it to their other friends to use while they attended school. Hope had seriously considered enrolling herself and moving with the younger graduates but had ultimately chosen to stay with Caroline. While she had her aunts and uncles and baby cousins, Caroline was still the closest thing she had to a parent, and neither were ready to let that go.

As important as Caroline was, Hope and Landon had also grown close over the last two years since the redhead had learned about The Merge. Landon had enrolled in the fall after a two-year break from school in order to stand guard over Lizzie... and take Hope up on her offer of an all-expenses paid college education, which included a generous living stipend in addition to tuition and books.  
He was living in the secretly financed house with his lifelong best friend and honorary brother, Rafael, who had enrolled directly out of high school and was now in his junior year. MG had decided to join them at the last minute, barely managing to register for fall classes in time. Unbeknownst to them, Landon had started an account for each of his roommates in which he was depositing their rent and utility payments to serve as a nest egg when they reached their respective graduations.

With Hope and Caroline staying in Mystic Falls, someone at Whitmore needed to know about Lizzie's condition. Deciding to tell Landon about The Merge had been a huge risk as he couldn't be compelled, although the reason for that was still unknown. Hope's completely unserious argument to Caroline had been that they could always kill him. The blonde was not amused, but in the end the two women sat Landon down and told him everything they had learned about the ceremony that threatened to claim one of the twin's young lives in just four short years. With Lizzie's episodes growing worse every year, it wouldn't be long before they would need to learn their fate.

Even though Caroline knew it was only a matter of time before the twins, and everyone else, would find out the truth about the Gemini lineage, she spent a great deal of time pushing the inevitable back into the furthest recesses of her troubled mind. Not a day went by that she didn't wish Klaus was there to tell her what to do. The more time passed, the harder it was to hold on to hopes of ever getting him back. The twenty-year-old Mikaelson knew how heavily that loss weighed on her friend's shoulders as she had also been bearing that burden for five years now. Their shared grief was the primary reason the tribrid hadn't been able to walk away from Mystic Falls. Moving on with her life before finding a way to resurrect her father felt like the ultimate betrayal to his memory.

There were days the misery of the two magical conundrums threated to swallow Caroline whole, and today was one of those days. She watched her daughter sleeping, wrapped up in her fluffy down feather white comforter with tiny pink rose accents. Most nights, Lizzie slept with Hope in her room, but when they fought it was good for them to have separate spaces. As hard as Hope tried, she wasn't a saint, and she was a first born Mikaelson witch. The twins were supposed to come home together the next day, but Lizzie had had an episode when she got a B on the final exam for her Mythological Creatures of the Mediterranean seminar. She was majoring in Occult Studies in spite of her father's assurances that it was a useless degree. Josie and Penelope had barely been able to keep her from attacking her professor. Caroline had made it to the sleepy college town less than two hours after receiving Landon's distress call.

When Caroline arrived at the girl's house, she was already exhausted. Landon was sitting with his back against the bathroom door where Lizzie had barricaded herself inside. He looked at his former headmistress and shrugged, his expression defeated. She knew he had tried his best. Unfortunately, Lizzie was getting harder and harder to manage and there were no answers in sight except the one Caroline never wanted to consider. Medications didn't work because there was no pharmaceutical intervention for evil mystical possession passed down through the generations. Meditation hadn't helped, nor had yoga, acupuncture, fire cupping, Chinese medicine, aromatherapy nor had any of a hundred other things they had prayed would at least do something to diminish the devastating darkness manifesting in the young siphon.

Caroline had been unable to break down the door with her vampire strength and had been forced to wait for Penelope to come and open it with magic. The three in the know did everything in their power to keep Lizzie from getting her hands on magic, but they couldn't outright tell her not to siphon without explaining why. Once the barrier was down, Caroline found Lizzie unconscious, an empty bottle of Alaric's expensive bourbon beside her on the cold tile. If this was any indication, in addition to the evil from her Parker side, she had also inherited her father's alcoholism.

The situation with Alaric was tense on the best of days, and downright miserable on the worst. Hope had pulled away from him significantly after Klaus' sacrifice when the old professor had let it become well known that it was a death he celebrated. He and Caroline had nearly come to blows over his gleeful attitude back then and many times since. On multiple occasions she had been quite certain he knew not only about their relationship, but that she and Hope intended to bring the hybrid back. Now that the twins were adults and Alaric couldn't threaten her with custody issues anymore, she cared significantly less about him finding out. Still, she wanted to delay the explosion she knew would come the day his suspicious were confirmed. Since the girls left for college, most of his nights were spent betting Damon Salvatore to see who's liver would be the first to fail from alcoholic hepatitis.

Caroline had cleaned the vomit off her daughter and driven her home to Mystic Falls a day early. She leaned against the rain slicked glass on the window seat with her arms curled around her legs, chin resting on her knees. Something had to be done about Lizzie's worsening condition. At this rate, she'd end up killing herself before The Merge could do it for her. Maybe Klaus had been right all those years ago in Catalonia. Maybe everything they had been through would count for something in the end. Maybe not. For now, all she could do was watch her daughter's breathing and make sure she didn't asphyxiate in her sleep. She turned to look outside when she heard Hope's Tesla pull into the massive driveway.

Caroline sighed and took a deep breath, resigned to telling Hope about the amulet… after Christmas Eve dinner, of course. Why spoil the happiest meal of the year? She reflected about how unhappy her entire year had been without Klaus as she walked down the giant staircase, pausing to look at the shiny tile where he once whisked her around the dance floor in a gown fit for a princess. She was halfway down when Hope flew into her arms, nearly toppling them both over. The redhead pulled back and asked frantically, "Where is she? Is she ok? I got here as fast as I could."

Caroline held a hand up to stop her rapid-fire questioning. "She's fine, Hope, she's fine. Lizzie's fine. She's asleep. I talked to Josie. Everyone else is driving down tomorrow afternoon. Landon's last final ends at 11:30 and then they'll be here, and we can have a real Christmas like we planned, ok?" she asked in her most optimistic voice. When the redhead looked unconvinced and unamused, Caroline flashed Hope her Miss Mystic smile and the younger girl erupted in laughter. "There's my girl," she smiled. "Come on. Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow will be better," she promised, walking arm in arm up the stairs to their respective bedrooms.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Much to everyone's surprise, it looked like Mystic Falls was actually going to have a White Christmas. Snow was falling outside, covering the ground in a thin layer of frozen beauty. Hope watched the ice crystals floating through the air from the kitchen window. Smells of Christmas Eve dinner filled the air as she put the finishing touches on her father's favorite mince pie. She made it for him every year even though she didn't know when, or if, he would ever be there to enjoy it himself. Landon came up behind her and stole a bit of the filling from the side of her mixing bowl and she slapped his hand. "Hands off, fake brother!" she teased. The girls had taken to calling him their fake brother. He had become a crucial part of their little family.

"Such violence, fake sister," he joked, his face masked in faux disapproval. She rolled her eyes and they both smiled, laughing merrily. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Hope washed her hands and dried them on her apron. "You help enough every day, Landon. This day is us girls spoiling you."

Penelope Park walked over from her designated spot where she had been slicing fruit. Nobody was dumb enough to trust either her or Lizzie with anything even remotely involving heat. Both were notoriously terrible cooks. Caroline had meticulously organized exactly how Christmas Eve dinner would be prepared, cooked and served. The young adults had been humoring her, but at times she could really get on everyone's collective nerves with her obsessive planning. Holidays were hard on both Hope and Caroline, so if it made the blonde vampire feel better to dive into organization mode, the rest of them indulged her. Hope had spent most of her life without her father, but Caroline hadn't. She felt his loss much more acutely.

The brunette witch rolled her eyes. "Could that have been any cheesier, Hope?" she joked.

"Pen, be nice," Josie Saltzman scolded, smacking her girlfriend lightly on the behind.

"I'm always nice!" Penelope argued, her tone light.

Lizzie walked up and wrapped an arm around Hope, kissing her temple. "Yeah, if you call unending snark and insults being nice," she joked. Penelope glared at the blonde, but the rest of them laughed. Turning to Landon, she pointed to the dining room. "Seriously though, unknown magical boy, out! My baby is right. Let us spoil you for a change." Landon responded with a bashful smile. It never ceased to amaze him how much his built family cared for him, having grown up with no one. "You can either go hang out with MG and Raf or you can help Caroline set the table."

Landon immediately held up his hands and walked backwards away from them. "Nope, I'm good. If you need me, I'll be avoiding Caroline," he teased with a wink.

"Hmm," Penelope mused. "Maybe he does have a brain under all those curls." The other three girls glared at her as they all began carrying dishes of traditional Christmas food to the giant cherry wood dining table. "What?" she asked sarcastically. "That was a compliment!"

Josie rolled her eyes at her girlfriend as she set down a platter of honey baked ham. "The day you pay Landon a compliment is the day I draw power from myself," she teased.

Hope quickly set down her green bean casserole and turned back to the kitchen. It was getting harder and harder not to tell the twins the truth about their power, but tonight was family dinner and she was determined to make it perfect for everyone she loved. After the last dish was on the table, she tapped her sparkling cider filled flute with a silver spoon. "Calling all supernaturals!" she said at a normal volume. Everyone in the house, save Landon, had heightened senses. The jury was still out on what type of magical creature he was. Whatever he turned out to be, if they ever found out, wouldn't change that he was one of them, always and forever.

Caroline was halfway to the table already and wasted no time placing red and green taper candles in Klaus' antique crystal candlestick holders. "Penelope, care to do the honors?" the peppy blonde asked the young witch.

Penelope smiled at her happily. "Gladly," she replied. She cast a quick gaze to the candles and muttered, "Incendia." The half dozen candles sprouted flames as MG lowered the dimmer switch on the wall before taking his seat, Christmas carols playing softly in the background. For some reason "O Holy Night" always reminded Caroline of Klaus. The brunette witches shared a small smile and a light peck on the lips. It made Hope smile to see that even small spells like lighting candles still made her friends smile. Caroline and Hope sat at the heads of the antique table. To Hope's left was Lizzie and to her right was Landon. Josie and Penelope sat on either side of Caroline. MG and Rafael sat across from each other in the middle.

Caroline lifted her sparkling cider and tapped it with her own silver spoon. "Alright kids who now look older than me," she began, laughing at their eye rolls. "You all know this part, and while I know you hate it, I don't care," she said with her Miss Mystic smile firmly in place. "Who wants to start?" Everyone at the table groaned. Caroline always made everyone go around the table and share something for which they were grateful. It was a corny tradition, but she loved it… and often needed the reminder that life still gave her reasons to smile.

The young adults all looked back and forth at each other, none of them wanting to volunteer. Finally, Landon cleared his throat. Hope flashed him a smile. He had become her hero in more ways than one. "Ok, so I guess I'll start," he said with a nervous laugh. "Um, wow, it's hard to narrow this down."

Lizzie interjected, "Try really hard, Landon." Hope kicked her under the table and Lizzie widened her eyes at her and shook her head. "Fine, fine, sorry. Go ahead fake brother," she added with a sickly-sweet smile that earned her a glare from her mother.

Landon laughed at their facial expressions before continuing. "Ok, that's what I'm the most grateful for. I grew up alone until I had Raf and I called him my brother then. Now I have all of you who gave that same name to me. Thanks for that," he added awkwardly. "Cheers," he finished, tipping his glass to the table.

MG was the next to speak. "I'm grateful that Hope had the balls to compel me into that advanced Euclidean geometry class, so I didn't have to suffer through the pre-reqs, cuz I was never going to do it myself," he shared with a laugh, tipping his glass. Caroline's hand dropped from below her chin to the table, her jaw falling. MG looked from Caroline to Hope and gulped. "Oh, shit, sorry Hope. Guess I outed you there," he said apologetically.

"Excuse me, but she came out a long time ago," Lizzie teased, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend's shoulders possessively. The table's laughter echoed around the massive dining room. "That's what I'm grateful for," she continued, raising her glass, "being part of a family that doesn't care who I fell in love with." The table made a collective aww sound when she leaned over and kissed Hope on the cheek, who in turn beamed, a pink blush crawling up her face. Turning to Rafael, she teased, "And whenever you're ready to admit your deep abiding love for your BFF here," she nodded at MG, "you will have our blessings."

MG and Rafael looked at each other and made gagging noises, drawing more laughter from the faux family. "That's sick, Lizzie, even for you," the werewolf said, shaking his head from side to side even as his smile persisted. "I'm grateful that Landon and I finally got MG to get a CPAP machine." He raised his glass before turning to the black vampire. "We don't need full vamp senses to hear THAT snoring." The table laughed as MG flipped him the finger.

"I'm grateful that Josie doesn't snore because then I'd be in prison for murder," Penelope added, face deadly serious. For a moment everyone stared at her nervously. After drawing out the suspense, the pretty brunette's face broke out in a grin and everyone released a collective breath. "Actually, that's what I'm grateful for," she said, sipping her sparkling cider before raising it to her friends. "The fact that I can still mess with all of you so easily after all these years."

"Cheers to that," Josie laughed, tipping her glass. "I'm grateful Lizzie and I don't have to share dad's old Jeep anymore," she said seriously, drawing laughs from everyone again.

"That's everyone, Josie," Caroline added. "I DO have vamp senses, but anytime I got within fifty feet of that thing, my nose wished I didn't." The table laughed in unison because it was true. Ric's ancient Jeep reeked of old Bourbon and vomit, but he insisted he couldn't smell it and refused to let the twins drive anything else until it mysteriously died one day while Penelope was making a store run the first week after they moved to McKinley. Ric, Damon and two mechanics had all looked at it, but none of them could figure out why the engine wouldn't turn over. Eventually, Ric adopted a "don't ask, don't tell," attitude. Hope would deny it had anyone asked, but she had written Caroline a check to get each of them decent used cars when they refused her offer for brand new ones.

Smiling at the table, Caroline turned her eyes first to Penelope and then to Hope. "I'm grateful that both of my daughters have partners who love them the way they deserve to be loved. Everyone should have that," she said sincerely, tipping her glass.

Hope caught Caroline's eye before saying, "Everyone will." The two women shared a meaningful look across the candlelight. A long moment passed before Hope offered up a small, sad smile. "I'm grateful for my dad," she said quietly. No one said a word as they waited for her to continue. She swallowed down the lump in her throat before elaborating. "As much as I'd prefer to have him here, I'm grateful that he left me so much. He left us this house, and I say us because it's all of ours." She took a minute to make eye contact and nod her head at each of them. Lifting her glass, she continued, "We're as blended a family as it gets. Looking around I see vampires, witches, siphons, werewolves… Landon…" she added with a wink. "Gay, straight, black, white, male, female, living, undead, blonde, brunette-"

"And one redheaded tribrid!" Lizzie interjected enthusiastically.

Hope rolled her eyes at her girlfriend. "Yeah, we have one of those, too," she conceded teasingly. "We're all different, but we're all the same, too. To us!" she finished, clinking her glass with Lizzie's as everyone around the table did the same.

Caroline beamed at Hope in pride, and for a moment she was able to forget how much she missed her own love. "Cheers!" she said with a bright smile. "Let's eat!" The table enthusiastically nodded their agreement as everyone dug into the many dishes the girls had prepared. "Oh, and just as a reminder," she added, her words thick around a mouthful of candied yams. "Boys have dish duty," the blonde teased with a wink. The men griped and groaned, but at the end of the night they did their part and left the kitchen and dining room immaculate… partly because they had agreed weeks ago, but mostly because they were afraid of facing the wrath of Caroline if they missed a spot.

Hours later, Hope wrapped herself up in a fluffy pink bathrobe and snuck downstairs to meet Caroline under the Christmas tree for their traditional midnight gift exchange. After her father's death, Hope hadn't gone back to New Orleans for holidays. Freya and Keelin were there with their daughters, but by then her birthplace held more bad memories than good. As the one and only tribrid, Hope had the best hearing in the school, if not the world. It was a blessing as much as it was a curse at times, but that night it had brought her to Caroline crying softly on the hearth, the Christmas tree's lights twinkling beside the crackling flames. The blonde vampire had been staring at the drawing Klaus gave her after his family's ball. They'd held hands and sat in silence until the clock struck midnight. Hope was the first to dry her eyes, and since it was technically Christmas, the two had exchanged gifts in the firelight.

Caroline looked up as Hope padded over to the giant tree and sat down on the plush carpet, legs crossed beneath her the same way as the blonde's legs. "Merry Christmas, sweetie," she greeted, taking the redhead in her arms and squeezing her tight.

"Merry Christmas," she replied, her Mikaelson blue eyes sparkling in the low light of the dancing flames. Tucking a curl behind her ear, Hope smiled shyly at the blonde vampire. "I didn't want to get all mushy in front of everyone, but you're what I'm most grateful for, Care." Like in years past, she took her friend's hand and gently squeezed it. "I've said goodbye to so many people in my life…" she said, her voice thick with unshed tears. "I really don't know how I would have survived if you hadn't been there for every loss. Thank you," she said sincerely, nodding her head up and down, sniffling.

Caroline sniffled herself and had to wipe away a stray tear before speaking. "You too, kiddo, you too," she agreed. She pulled Hope to her and embraced her warmly.

It was several minutes before either of them moved. Hope was the first to pull back. "You know," she said with a chuckle, "I'm technically like three years older than you now, so you're going to have to stop calling me that."

Caroline held up her pointy finger as she sassed, "Hey, I'm still the adult here, young lady, and you're kiddo until I say otherwise."

Hope laughed, handing her a gift wrapped in shiny silver paper with a bow made of blue ribbon. "Whatever you say, Care. Merry Christmas, old lady."

Caroline laughed, rolling her eyes. "Let me guess…" she said as she held the package up to her ear and shook it lightly. "Is it golf shoes?" she asked brightly.

Hope giggled, rolling her eyes right back. "You ALWAYS guess golf shoes."

Caroline shrugged lightly, her tone light. "A girl can dream," she joked. "Actually, it was what my grandpa Forbes always used to say when I was little. We always made it a point to get a gift that, when wrapped, could not possibly have been golf shoes."

"Was he a golfer?" Hope asked, her tone just as light as Caroline carefully peeled the tape off the silver paper, bow already untied.

"No," the blonde shrugged. She offered no further explanation. Words failed her when the paper landed on the floor. Caroline sucked in a deep breath, her mouth falling open. In her hands was a sketchbook she recognized immediately. It had been in Klaus' art room the night he first introduced her to his passion.

Hope smiled when Caroline's eyes snapped to hers in surprise. "I found it in the attic a couple of months ago. Look inside," she said quietly, nodding at the spiral sketchbook. Caroline looked at page after page of sketches that were all of her as a freshly turned vampire. "I think he would have wanted you to have it," she whispered. She had seen them all already, of course, but she leaned over as they both looked at the black and white drawings. One was of Caroline in a pair of jeans, her hair blowing behind her in the wind. Another was of her smiling at something far off in the distance. Another was her in a sleeveless dress next to a lake. There were at least a hundred pages left in the book and every single one was of her, immortalized in charcoal by the hand of the artist she had admitted she loved more than after he knew it himself. In a thousand years, he had never been surer of anything than he was that he would be her last love.

Caroline's manicured hand covered her mouth as tears fell down her cheeks, her sniffles the only sound mingling with the crackling logs in the stone fireplace. The two spent more than half an hour silently admiring Klaus' beautiful artwork. Caroline finally managed to choke down the last of her tears and looked to Hope, nodding her head and mouthing a silent, "Thank you." The tribrid nodded her head in return and gave Caroline another tight hug.

The blonde woman flipped several pages back and left the book open to a sketch of her in a beautiful dress. "That dress makes you look like a princess," Hope mused.

Caroline smiled down at the familiar gown. "Your dad got it for me, and I'm pretty sure he did steal it from a princess," she joked. She rolled up the sleeve of her cotton nightshirt and showed Hope her diamond infinity bracelet, the one she never took off. "This I KNOW he stole," she laughed. "It was the first thing he ever gave me after he cured me from a hybrid bite. I put it back on the night he…" her voice trailed off and Hope knew what she couldn't bring herself to say. Forcing a smile, she finished, "I haven't taken it off since."

"I gotta hand it to you, you definitely fall for men with good taste," Hope teased, nodding at the wedding rings forever hanging on a chain around Caroline's neck. Caroline looked down at them and smiled, fingering them absentmindedly.

"That I do," she agreed. "Your turn," she said with a wide smile. She pulled a large box from under the tree. It was wrapped in royal blue paper with a massive silver bow.

Hope clapped her hands together like a little girl before tearing at the paper. Caroline inwardly groaned at the way the shredded wrapping fell to the ground. While they had their similarities, Hope did not share Caroline's obsession with cleanliness. "Caroline," she whispered, voice filled with awe as she pulled a familiar dress from the giant box. "This is the dress in the drawing." Hope snapped her eyes to her friend who nodded her confirmation. "This was a gift from my dad. You're giving me this?" she asked in shock.

Caroline smiled and tucked a golden curl behind her ear. "He'd want you to look your best for the ball tomorrow, seeing as it'll be the first time all of the Mikaelsons will be in one place since…" she paused, choosing her words carefully. "Well, since the last time," she finished, unable to say what had last brought them together. Even five years later, the pain she felt the night Klaus died remained as sharp as it had back then.

Hope held the dress to her chest, sniffling back tears of her own. "Thank you," she whispered with heartfelt sincerity. "I still can't believe you convinced all of them to come. I haven't seen Kol or Davina in years. How did you talk them into it? Neither of them even cares about Christmas," she commented, her head tilting to the side as she carefully set the gown back between layers of tissue paper.

Caroline opened her mouth but shut it again. Hope raised an eyebrow at her, encouraging her to continue. "Well, they're not exactly coming for the celebratory factor," she said mysteriously.

Hope pushed the box aside and crossed her arms over her chest. "Spill. What aren't you saying?"

Taking a deep breath, Caroline pulled a small box out of her robe and handed it to Hope. The tribrid opened it and there was an opal necklace sitting on a bed of red velvet. She looked at it quizzically. "I can already tell you: I have nothing that goes with that." She picked up the odd piece of jewelry and turned it over in her delicate fingers. "You know this is, like, a hundred years out of style, right?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "It's not for you. It's for Lizzie."

Hope looked at her incredulously, eyebrows raised. "Lizzie? Seriously? This is what you got her for Christmas? Are you TRYING to piss her off? Cuz I'd really like it if we got through tomorrow without burning the mansion to the ground."

Caroline smiled sadly, taking the amulet back. "It's not what I got her for Christmas, Hope."

"Well thank God for small favors," the young woman snarked. "Are you gonna let me in on the secret?" she asked, annoyance growing. She hated guessing games. "What's that extremely ugly gift have to do with Kol and Davina?"

Caroline sighed. "It's not an extremely ugly gift," she explained, before adding quickly, "although I agree that it is super ugly." Both women took a moment to nod at their shared distaste. "It's actually more like a few hundred years out of style. Your dad and I got it a long time ago in Catalonia. Do you remember when Lizzie burned down that old barn?"

Hope nodded, cringing at the memory. "Yeah, that was the worst I'd ever seen her. Although in retrospect, I long for the days when her destruction was limited to arson," she said with an annoyed huff. Caroline nodded her agreement. The two sat in silent contemplation for several minutes before Hope spoke again. "I think we're lucky the only person she's killed has been me. Landon and I are doing our best to keep her calm, and I know you are, too, but sometimes I don't think she's even going to make it to The Merge before…" Her voice trailed off, her lower lip between her teeth.

Caroline exhaled a sharp breath. "Before one of my daughters dies," she said, finishing Hope's sentence. The redhead looked at her and nodded, her gaze and hands falling to her lap. They hadn't discussed it, but both women knew that it was only a matter of time before either Lizzie killed her sister, or someone had to kill Lizzie to stop her. "That's where this amulet comes in," Caroline explained, holding it up in the light of the fire. "When your dad brought me to Spain to get it, I was livid. I refused to even consider using it once I found out what it did, and I was furious with him for even suggesting we do that to my baby."

Hope looked at her, her expression unsure. "Ok. Well, whatever it does, you must be thinking it has since become a viable option. Part of me really doesn't want to know what my dad of all people thought was a good idea, but I'm asking anyway. What does it do?" she asked, anxiety filling her stomach with a ball of lead. "What's Davina coming to do to Lizzie?"

Caroline took a deep breath and exhaled in a whoosh. "It's used in a binding ritual, Hope," she whispered, her voice thick as she met the redhead's eyes, the tribrid's face frozen in shock. "Davina is coming to bind the part of Lizzie that makes her a witch."

A/N So what do you guys think? These chapters are getting harder to write now that we're just past the halfway point. Please leave me some feedback if you liked it… or didn't. Either way. In the next chapter we will be seeing many familiar characters. See you soon!


	10. Raised a Hand to My Defeat

A/N Whew! This was a bear of a chapter! It ended up being so ridiculously long that I decided to split it and put this part out now. More soon. Promise! As always, thank you to those of you following this story, and an even bigger thank you to those of you who reviewed! Feedback is a great motivator. Please let me know what you think!

Also, shout out to DarkGhostLight for, once again, talking me through this entire journey. She's an amazing writer and just updated two of her stories. I highly, highly suggest checking her out!

Chapter Nine – Raised a Hand to My Defeat

Catalonia, Spain – 2023

Caroline Forbes had been wandering the streets of Catalonia for hours, her dead lover's words ringing in her ears, reverberating around her troubled mind. How could Klaus Mikaelson of all people even suggest binding an innocent little girl? Hadn't he been innocent once? What had become of the boy he had been? When he broke his curse, did he sever the memories of a millennium of torment, or did he truly believe binding Lizzie was the right thing to do? Was she the one who couldn't see what was right? What kind of mother would she be if she stripped away an essential part of her own daughter? What kind of mother would she be if she didn't?

Caroline sat down on a cast iron park bench, Spanish moonlight illuminating her blonde hair as she buried her face in her manicured hands. She would have cried if she'd had any tears left. She cried until her eyes ran dry. She cried for all she'd lost and for all she was afraid to lose. Greater than her fear of loss was her fear of things she didn't want to know but had to learn. Things she didn't want to have happen but had to accept. Magic was a part of her daughter she couldn't live without, but as her mother, she had to let go.

The blonde vampire wasn't surprised when she pulled her hands away from her face and found Klaus sitting next to her, his expression contemplative. In a thousand years, Caroline was the only person who made him question his words before they left his mouth. What should he say to her? What could he say? He had no idea. He never did when it came to her. With no words, he sat beside her and waited until she took his waiting hand. He pulled her to his chest and kissed the top of her head.

A long time passed before Caroline finally spoke. "I don't want to do this," she whispered, the sound of her heart breaking in her voice.

"I know, sweetheart. I know," he whispered back, stroking her long blonde hair.

"Do I have a choice?" she asked miserably.

Klaus nodded his head and kissed her temple. "There's always a choice. I spoke with Kol again. His wife is one of my least favorite people on earth, but she is a miraculously talented witch. She's willing to meet with you in Mystic Falls should you have the desire to do so."

Caroline sat up and ran her fingers through her messy curls, letting her hands join behind her neck. "Would she be coming to awaken the amulet?" she asked skeptically, holding his eye contact.

Klaus shook his head side to side as he stared at her gently. "Not unless that's what you decide," he promised. He paused to take her hands in his. "I know you think me a monster right now, and maybe I am. But no one understands exactly what is at stake here more than I. Whether you take this option or not, the time has come to look beyond your hopes and wishes. As much as it pains me, if Davina has a better option, I think you should hear her out," he said seriously, leaning in to tuck a messy curl behind her ear.

Caroline sniffled but eventually nodded her head in resignation. "I'll talk to her."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Caroline's sole relief two weeks later when she was standing outside the Mikaelson Mansion waiting for Davina was that Hope was in Mystic Falls, meaning Kol Mikaelson couldn't set foot in her sleepy little town. If there was going to be an Original sibling here for this, it wasn't the youngest brother she wanted at her side. It had been tempting to wait until Hope went home to visit her mother in New Orleans, but Lizzie was in crisis now. Whatever magical intervention was decided upon, it couldn't wait for the next holiday.

Davina drove up in a rented red Porsche Cayenne, the sound of gravel crunching under rubber filling the otherwise silent air. The first thing Caroline noticed when the young witch got out of the car was how remarkably pretty she was even after death came for her twice. Twice death came and twice she rose from the grave. If anyone could help save Lizzie, it was Davina Claire. The stunning brunette gracefully walked up the gravel driveway and held out her elegant hand, nails manicured with French tips. "I'm sorry about the situation with your daughters," she said sincerely. "When I was sixteen, I got screwed over by a bunch of dead ancestors who wanted me to die in a ritual, too. I'll help in whatever way I can."

Caroline took her outstretched hand and returned the younger woman's smile. "Thank you for coming," she said, genuine gratitude filling her at Davina's confidence. "Please, come in." Caroline led them into the mansion and Davina followed her to the living room. "Make yourself comfortable," she said politely, offering her a drink. Once they were seated with glasses of crisp Moscato, Caroline asked tentatively, "What can you tell me about this amulet?

Davina took the amulet from the blonde's hands and examined it, turning it over and over. "It's powerful," she said, setting it down on the black oak coffee table, "but I don't think it's your best option. I don't know the spell to awaken it, either, but from what Kol said, what it does is terrible. I wouldn't want that for a little girl."

Caroline's chest suddenly felt a thousand pounds lighter. She nodded her head, relief flooding her. "So, if it's not my best option, what are my others? This is really all I've got," she added sadly, tossing the offensive amulet on the table.

Davina sat back against the plush couch, crossing her jean clad legs and sipping her wine. "There are a lot of spells you can try. It just depends what road you want to go down."

"Well, what are the roads?" Caroline asked, anxiety filling her.

Davina looked at the forever teenager, tilting her head to the side as she considered her words. "The binding spell is definitely an option, but it's a huge price to pay. Unfortunately, every road has a price tag. Every spell has a cost. It depends how much you're willing to sacrifice," she explained, pausing to let her words sink in.

Caroline locked eyes with the pretty brunette and nodded her head firmly. "Tell me."

Davina nodded back. "Well, there are sleeping spells-"

"No," Caroline said quickly. "I don't want my daughters spending their lives apart. They need each other," she added, voice cracking. Thinking of waiting a lifetime to hold Lizzie again felt worse than a death sentence.

"Ok, so not that," Davina said comfortingly, trying to sooth the fear out of the blonde's crystal blue eyes that held so much haunted agony. "You'll probably hate this one, too, but she could body jump-"

"You're right," Caroline said, cutting her off. "I hate it. Next?"

Davina frowned. There weren't all that many ideas for Caroline to refuse to even consider. "You would have to wait a few years, but when she's older, she could turn-"

"NO!" Caroline shouted, startling the other girl. She quickly covered her mouth, guilt crawling up her spine. "Sorry. It's just that," she paused, trying to find the words. She sighed. "I don't want this life for her," the worried mother finished, allowing her vampire features to darken the veins beneath her eyes, fangs peeking out from her gums. "I know you're married to a vampire, but-"

This time it was Davina's turn to cut off Caroline. "No, I get it," she agreed, her voice sympathetic. "Kol and I have talked about it, you know?" The blonde tilted her head to the side, eyebrow raising as she finished her wine and set the crystal glass on a side table. "He could turn me someday, but that's a price neither of us will pay. As a witch, I would have to sacrifice my connection to magic, to nature. I would have to live an eternity knowing what I've lost. I don't want that, and he doesn't want it for me."

Caroline smiled at the witch, so mature for one still so young... as if the eternal teenager had any room to talk. Supernaturals grew up young everywhere it seemed. "He loves you," she said, envious of couples who could spend every day together, living their lives free of all the angst she and Klaus shared.

"He does." Davina nodded her confirmation. "He loves me enough to know that sometimes love means letting go. Realistically, we have a lot of decades before that day comes, but it will come. There is going to be a time for goodbyes. That's the price of living. We aren't meant to live forever," she said seriously.

Caroline leaned back into the couch, smiling sadly. "No, we aren't," she agreed. "Has," she began before pausing to consider her phrasing. "Has Kol ever thought about taking the cure?"

Davina nodded her head, a contemplative look in her chocolate brown eyes. "Yeah, we've talked about it a hundred times." After a reflective moment, she smiled, her eyes sparkling with the warmth of a future. "He's going to take it," she said simply, holding the blonde's gaze. Caroline's eyes widened in surprise. Kol loved being a vampire as much as she and Klaus. Davina smirked that smirk that could only be learned from a Mikaelson. "Surprised?" she asked.

"Shocked is more like it. He loves being a vampire," Caroline said truthfully, Davina's revelation baffling her.

Davina shrugged, a small smile still playing upon her pretty pink lips. "He loves me more." Caroline returned her smile even as a bullet of sadness shot through her. Klaus would never choose to give up his immortality… and she couldn't blame him. She would never want to…. But would she? What if it meant saving someone she loved? What if the only way to save Lizzie was to sacrifice a part of who her daughter was? "That's a long time away, though," Davina added, eyebrows furrowing together in the tiniest of frowns. "Damon has at least another forty years."

"You could kill him," Caroline interjected with a bright smile. Maybe Elena had forgotten what her husband had done to her as a human, as a child, but she hadn't. She never would. And for Damon's sake, the Salvatores should be glad Klaus didn't know there was anything to forget. If there was anyone on the planet who knew about the joy of vengeance, it was Niklaus Mikaelson.

Davina laughed at Caroline's happy suggestion. "We've considered it, believe me," she said with a dramatic eye roll. "But Rebekah is still next in line and I really don't want to piss off Bonnie Bennett," she said seriously. Caroline shrugged, agreeing with that sentiment. She and Bonnie had grown apart, but Caroline still considered her a friend for whom she would do anything. However, that was a sentiment with which she had no idea if Bonnie would agree.

"Rebekah will hopefully get at least sixty," Davina continued. "If I get another fifty or sixty, that's still a lot of decades we'll have to be apart before he can join me… wherever we end up this time," she added with a girlish laugh and a bright smile. "My only regret is that we won't be human at the same time. If there was a way for us to have a family, neither of us would hesitate, eternity be damned."

Caroline smiled a thousand-watt smile, eyes crinkling. That was something she knew all about. "Now that sounds like a Mikaelson," she added, nodding. Davina gave her a knowing smile but said nothing. "I mean, they're all obsessed with always and forever, right?" she added, quickly covering up her slip. "Hope says it all the time," she commented with a dismissive wave of her manicured hand. Davina was helping her for the sake of Lizzie… she didn't want to chance giving the pretty brunette a reason to resent her.

Davina sighed, a shot of pain striking her living, beating heart. "Unfortunately, always and forever is going to take a while. But," she added, "if giving up a part of himself means we can be together again, it's a price he's willing to pay." Davina paused to give Caroline a moment to reflect on that, but the blonde had a faraway look in her eyes as she considered her own choices. Catching her gaze, the witch said solemnly, "Sometimes love means making sacrifices." Davina had sacrificed everything for the ones she loved time and time again, and yet she would do it all over without hesitation. Caroline supposed Davina and Bonnie were similar in the way they loved, as was she.

After a long moment, Caroline continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "Like I said, I don't want this for Lizzie. I wouldn't want it for anyone I love," she said, her voice trailing off. Eventually she forced herself to take a deep breath and ask the question she had been dreading. "Are those all my options?"

Davina sighed. "There is one other, but I don't think it will happen."

"What is it?" Caroline asked immediately, desperate for a solution she could live with.

"It's complicated," Davina explained. "The short version is that it's a less extreme binding."

"Would she still be able to use magic?" Caroline asked skeptically, inwardly cringing at the word 'binding.'

"She would, but not to the same degree as other witches. It's kind of life a dampener. She wouldn't be operating at full strength. It won't stop her episodes completely," she added, her tone emphatic. "But it would make them less severe and hopefully less frequent."

The blonde vampire ran her fingers through her corn silk curls. "That doesn't sound too bad," she conceded, mixed emotions filling her chest. "What's the catch? Why do you think it can't happen?"

Davina looked at the other woman. She sympathized with her situation and wanted to help, but should she not have suggested this? Was she giving the grief-stricken mother false hope? She sighed again before continuing. "The spell requires the blood of one who was already bound, and there's only one person alive who ever broke free of that binding. You'd need the blood of-"

"Klaus Mikaelson," Caroline said, surprise and relief filling her.

Davina crossed her arms over her chest at the mention of her least favorite in-law. "Yeah, him," she said, disgust evident on the last word. "But he fell off the grid years ago; so good luck finding him."

Caroline nodded her head vehemently. "He'll do it," she said quickly, losing her filter. Davina raised a questioning eyebrow at the blonde vampire. Caroline's eyes momentarily widened, realizing her second slip. "I know him- knew him- we were friends," she said honestly.

Davina scoffed. "Klaus doesn't have friends. He has enemies who want to kill him; and he has his family; who also often want to kill him."

Caroline shook her head resolutely. "No, you're wrong. He's my friend," she said firmly. "He'll come. Just tell me when," the relieved mother said, confident that Klaus would come through once again. He always did. There was nothing she had ever been surer of than that Klaus would always come when she called… and if he really had fallen off the grid, she'd search everywhere from heaven and hell and back again to find the love of her life.

Davina pursed her lips, biting the inside of her cheek, doubt evident on her angelic face. "There's a full moon in three days' time. How fast can you get Hope out of Mystic Falls?"

Caroline pulled out her Galaxy and quickly pulled up Hayley's contact, rapidly tapping a text to the mother of her favorite student. Looking up, she answered, "Three days is enough. Hope will be in Nola and Klaus will be here."

Davina looked at her skeptically, almost pityingly. "I hope you're right, but I have to warn you, I have zero confidence that Klaus will actually show."

"He'll be here," Caroline replied, certain that he would be.

Davina looked at her skeptically as she picked up her purse and headed to the front door. "I hope you're right, for Lizzie's sake," the young witch said seriously. Caroline embraced her in and grateful hug. Davina smiled and hugged her back, reflecting that in another life they could have been friends. "Call me if you manage to track him down," she told the blonde vampire before walking down to her waiting Porsche.

As soon as Davina drove away, Caroline pulled out her Galaxy. Klaus answered on the first ring. "Hello, love," he greeted in his smooth British accent.

Caroline sighed when she heard his comforting words. "Hello lover," she replied, always happy to hear his silky voice on the long-distance line… even though her heart was with her daughter. She let Klaus tell her all about his latest destination as he aimlessly wandered the globe. The longer they talked, the more her stomach unknotted itself. The sound of Klaus' voice always made everything easier... or at least less painful. They talked for over an hour before Caroline got to the point. "So, will you come?" she asked, worrying her lower lip as unnecessary anxiety filled her.

"And here I thought we had an agreement that I was never to return to Mystic Falls?" he teased, smirking at the memory of their first kiss… amongst other firsts they both knew would never be lasts, even back then. Some fires could never be blown out.

"Oh, the deal is still in place," Caroline sassed, lips turning up in a smile he couldn't see over the phone. "This is a one-time free pass," she added, laughing.

Klaus' smile mirrored hers on the other end of the line. "Well, I suppose I can fly in for a night…" he trailed off in faux consideration. "But I have one condition," he added with an evil grin she could see in her mind's eye.

"Oh yeah?" she laughed, strongly suspecting that she'd like his terms. "What's that?"

Caroline could hear Klaus' smirk across the ocean. "Spend the weekend with me in my mansion."

Relief washing through her, the blonde vampire happily replied, "Wild horses, babe, wild horses."

Klaus smiled on his end before quietly adding, "I love you, Caroline."

Caroline's smile mirrored his from around the world. "I love you, too." Every time she said it, it was a reminder that while he was far from her, she was never alone. "See you soon!" she added, ending the call with the tap of her finger on her touchscreen. Klaus was coming. Everything would be ok.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Three nights later, the moon was nearly at its apex when Caroline looked up at the night sky as the stars twinkled down an eerie shine of foreboding. The winter air was still, snowfalls drifting straight to the frozen ground below her heavy boots. It was much too cold for a little girl to be outside in the middle of the night. The weather was one more thing in a long list of things she could not control but had to accept. Caroline hated everything about this plan, minus the part where she got to see Klaus.

Klaus had, of course, agreed that this pseudobinding was the right thing to do. Of course, left up to Klaus, Lizzie would no longer have access to magic at all. Caroline looked down at her beautiful daughter as she lay asleep in the middle of a sparkling crystal pentagram. Her eyes were shut tight, magical herbs flowing through her veins to keep her locked in neverland. Klaus warned her how horrible his binding had been and insisted Lizzie be sedated with Freya's herbs. Caroline had slipped them in her daughter's warm milk before bed. There was never going to be a way to explain to a nine-year-old child all that she needed to know but was too young to understand. Caroline's heart ached as Lizzie's tiny chest rose and fell. This wasn't fair. Life wasn't fair.

The blonde vampire wasn't the only unhappy parent in the woods. Alaric Saltzman stood just beyond the pentagram, his arms crossed defensively over his chest. As much as Caroline didn't tell the father of her surrogate children, she did keep him up to date on her discoveries about The Merge... just not that all of her trips were ten times longer than they needed to be because she was sleeping with his worst enemy.

Caroline had forgiven Klaus long ago for the role he played in the Mikaelsons terrorizing her tiny town, but Alaric never would. Every time the smug teacher made a snide remark about Hope's father, it took everything in her not to snap his neck. It wouldn't be long before Hope returned that sentiment. Yes, Klaus had been a monster, and maybe he still was and always would be... but at day's end, weren't they all monsters who went bump in the night?

Caroline watched Davina walked around the circle setting up herbs and tapered candles that could be lit only with magic. In another life, they could have been friends. Sisters. Not this life. A different life. A better life. It had been a long time since Davina had performed such a complicated spell. She and Kol lived a life as danger-free as possible. Their days of crawling out of hell and battling unkillable monsters were over.

Magic was a part of her, but it had taken on a lesser role in her adult life as a wife and psychologist. She decided to take up Camille's profession when her friend's life was ripped away. As soon as she and Kol escaped the drama of New Orleans, she'd enrolled at Stanford University. Now, Davina wanted to heal instead of hurt. She and Kol had hurt enough people already. Stolen enough lives. So many loved ones had been ripped away, theirs and their victims. In spite of all who had died, Davina and Kol were among the survivors. All she wanted now was to live her life beside her husband. Simple. Peaceful. Happy.

"It's time, Caroline," Davina said firmly, carefully arranging a small pile of red jasper. "Where is he?" she asked with a dramatic head shake, hands finding her hips a she stared at the blonde expectantly. Caroline's nerves threatened to bring her to her knees as she looked around for any sign of him. She'd never been more grateful for Klaus' blood before... and it had saved her life, twice... after he'd put it in danger, twice.

"I can't believe we agreed to a plan that depends entirely on Klaus fucking Mikaelson," Alaric spat venomously, rolling his eyes in disgust, face twisted in revulsion. Caroline forced herself to choke down her rage at his ignorance. Klaus was the most amazing man she had ever known, but Alaric would only ever see the monster who killed his girlfriend.

"Honestly, I can't say that I disagree," Davina commented as she put the finishing touches on her circle.

Caroline shook her head at both of them, sure Klaus was on his way. "He'll be here," she said definitively. She knew she was right, but that knowledge did nothing to dull the pain in her gut as she thought about what he was coming for... after tonight, Lizzie would never be the same.

Davina scoffed as she looked around their small clearing buried deep in the woods of Mystic Falls. They were on hallowed ground. Davina had chosen the place where the great white oak once fell and rained murderous ash on the ancient forest floor. "You'll be lucky if he isn't showing up just to bite you for disturbing his murder spree," she said sarcastically.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, Davina," a smooth British accent called from the black woods. "Caroline hasn't had a hybrid bite in years," Klaus finished as he stepped into the clearing, moonlight illuminating his dark blonde hair and putting a twinkle in his ocean eyes as he saw his love waiting for him. Caroline feigned surprise when she heard his voice, quickly turning to her lover so only they knew her porcelain face shone with a bright smile beneath the white glow of the stars. Klaus was here, as she knew he would be. She had called and he had come. Everything would be ok.

Mystic Falls – Christmas Day, 2031

Hope opened the giant wooden front door and held it open for their visitors. "Caroline," she said, holding out her hand to indicate the blonde vampire. "You've met my Uncle Kol."

Kol picked up Caroline's hand and kissed it, bowing. "Pleasure to see you again, darling. My brother had good taste. You are indeed stunning," he joked, wiggling his eyebrows in a way that would have had Klaus tearing out his liver had he still been alive. "Ow!" he yelped when a pretty brunette smacked the back of his head. Kol pulled back his hand and rubbed the point of impact.

Hope laughed, falling into her aunt's arms for a long overdue hug. "This is my aunt, Davina Claire-Mikaelson," she introduced.

"Feel free to just say Davina Mikaelson," she said with a pouty smile as she crossed the threshold. Turning to the blonde vampire, she explained, "I haven't had any contact with my old coven in years, but my husband likes to brag about my bloodline, so we never legally dropped the Claire," she said, rolling her eyes. "He's a bit of a fanboy to us witches," she teased, winking at Hope. She tossed her long silky brown hair over her shoulder and held out her hand. "It's nice to see you again, Caroline."

Hope's surprise registered on her face when she interjected, "You've met?"

Davina nodded. "Years ago. Is there somewhere we can spread out? I brought books," she said, dropping a heavy duffle bag on the floor and cocking her head at Kol. "He's got supernatural strength. He can do the heavy lifting." Without a backwards glance at her husband, she followed Caroline into the dining room.

Caroline grinned at the pretty witch and turned to the redheaded tribrid. "I like your aunt, Hope."

"Yeah, me too," the tribrid replied, smiling at the familiar faces she had missed so much. She wished her father had been right that the Mikaelsons would come together again and again; but he wasn't; and they hadn't. In the beginning, Hope had called each of her aunts and uncles every week, sometimes every day. Over the years, however, their calls had become less and less frequent. She was glad Caroline had managed to talk everyone into coming for Christmas, but knowing the hidden reason made her sick to her stomach.

Could they really do this? Is this what it had come down to? Hope had the image of her mother screaming during her own binding ritual seared into her mind for all time. She would never forget the sound of Hayley's screams as half of her being was stolen from her very soul. Could she really do that to Lizzie, the woman she loved? If they did, Lizzie would never forgive them... but if they didn't, how long would any of them live to find redemption? How had it come to this?

Caroline missed Klaus. She missed him every second of every day. She missed him more on days like today. It wasn't the holiday that broke her heart today: it was the unknown. She tried so hard to imagine what her hybrid lover would tell her to do, but this time she had no idea. No one knew better than Klaus how horrible binding could be; and yet it had originally been his suggestion so many years ago. If only things were simpler, if they had more time. Time was running out. The time for secrecy had run out. Both Caroline and Hope knew the day they bound Lizzie was the day they would have to tell the twins the truth about The Merge.

Caroline had been living with The Merge hanging over her head like the Sword of Damacles since her magical mystical pregnancy. She was always destined to lose one of her children. Is that all that ever came of love? Loss? Was that the price she had to pay for brief moments of happiness in an eternity of solitude? She hoped not. The sound of a heavy book slamming down on the solid wood dining room table snapped Caroline out of her reverie. The other three were already sitting around a trio of musty old tombs that could only have been ancient grimoires from Davina's coven and Kol's millennium of thievery. There were also several notepads with notes scribbled in various magical languages. Caroline sat down next to Hope and pulled the open book towards them.

Kol pressed his finger down on the yellowed page to show Caroline and Hope the spell. "You owe me for this, little niece," the only surviving Mikaelson brother said with a smirk. "I had to trade a vial of my precious Original blood for this grimoire, so best pay attention," he added, snapping his fingers in front of Hope's face, her thoughts following Caroline's. Hope shook her head to clear away the overwhelming guilt surrounding her.

Davina cocked her head to the side and looked at her niece, considering her carefully. "Are you sure going down this road is what you want, Hope?" she asked with genuine interest, concern evident in her tone.

Hope exhaled in a whoosh. She ran her fingers through her tangled red curls. "Honestly, no. I just found out about this last night. I haven't really had time to process."

Kol shot Caroline an accusing glare. "You never told her? Caroline!" he scolded, his tone firm. She looked at him guiltily and shrugged. What could she say? He was right. She hadn't told Hope everything. She still hadn't. "Well don't worry, poppet," he said reassuringly, taking the tribrid's hand in his. "The spell has to be performed under a blood moon. The next total lunar eclipse isn't until October 18, 2032."

Hope exhaled again, relief flowing through her. There was still time – time to come up with a better plan. "Ok," she said slowly, nodding her head. "Tell me more."

Davina spoke up, taking over for her husband. "The spell is complex and requires a lot of mystical energy, but it's manageable. The incantation itself is fairly simple and the ingredients are minimal. It'll take a few herbs and stones, and of course the amulet," she explained. Hope and Caroline nodded their heads in understanding. "When the moon is at it's apex, you have to mix Lizzie's blood first with the doppelgängers blood-"

"Seriously?!" Hope shouted in annoyance. "Why does EVERYTHING in Mystic fucking Falls revolve around Elena Salvatore?"

"Salvatore?" Kol asked in surprise. "How is it THREE of my brothers died but Damon Salvatore lives happily ever after?"

Caroline laughed. "Oh, don't worry, he doesn't get the ever after part," she explained, sharing a smile with Hope. "He's a human, remember?"

Kol barked out a laugh. "Oh, I'm well aware, darling," he said gleefully. "Just do me a favor and give me a call when he's on his death bed, should you hear tell of it."

"I'm sure I'll hear about it," Hope laughed.

"Davina," Caroline said, suddenly all business as she turned to Hope's aunt. "What else do we need for the spell?"

"Right," Davina continued. "Under a total lunar eclipse, you'll have to combine the doppelgänger's blood and the blood of the witch performing the spell," she explained.

Hope interjected, "I'm guessing that's me, right?" she asked unhappily, looking from Caroline to Davina and Kol. "It's always me! Why is it always me? Why do I always have to be the one?" she asked in frustration.

Davina cut her off mid-rant. "Actually, it's not you this time."

"Oh," Hope said in surprise. "You're doing it then? Thank you," she said sincerely, taking Davina's hand across the table and squeezing it lightly. Kol and Davina shared a brief look, prompting Hope to raise an eyebrow. "Something you'd like to share with the rest of the table?"

Davina look at her niece, eyes filling with thinly veiled pity. "As much as I want to help you, and you know how much I hate ancestors, I can't perform the spell either, Hope," Davina explained sadly.

Hope looked at her aunt in anger, ripping her hand away. "What do you mean you won't do it, Davina? What about my girlfriend?"

Davina glared at the tribrid for a moment before rolling her eyes. "I didn't say I WON'T do it, Hope. I said I CAN'T do it," the pretty brunette clarified.

"Why can't you?" Caroline asked calmly, resting a hand on Hope's arm.

"Because the amulet is bound by blood magic. It can only be awakened by a witch of the original bloodline. But don't worry," Davina added quickly when she saw the yellow flashing in her niece's eyes. "The line originated in Salem, but the family moved hundreds of years ago after the witch trials. They've been here in Mystic Falls ever since."

Caroline and Hope turned to face each other, jaws dropping. Caroline spoke first. "You don't mean…" she started but trailed off.

Davina nodded. "Yep," she confirmed, popping the p. "The only person who can perform the spell is a Bennet witch."

Caroline groaned, covering her face in her hands. From behind her fingers, she growled, "The blood I can deal with, but how am I supposed to get Bonnie to help with this?" she asked in dismay, dropping her hands.

"I'm sure you can be very persuasive, Caroline. After all, you managed to awaken my brother's cold dead enough to make him fall in love with you," Kol teased. He smirked at her and Caroline's heart clenched when she looked over and saw how very much the younger Mikaelson resembled his hybrid brother. "It's not like you've asked her to help when you resurrect him." Caroline and Hope collectively dropped their jaws as their eyes widened. Kol smirked again, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair. Turning to his wife, he said, "I told you they weren't giving up that easily."

Davina glared at her husband before turning to the two women, crossing her arms across her chest in the same manner as Kol. "No offense, but I really hope you never figure it out," she said, anger tinging her tone. "And don't even THINK about asking for my help on that one, Hope," she said, gesturing in the air with a manicured pointy finger. "I know you loved him, but the world is better off without Niklaus Mikaelson."

"I have to say," Kol added in his British drawl before the women could object, "I'm inclined to agree with her on that. But," he said, pausing. "He was my brother, so if you manage to find a way, I won't stop you," he conceded. Davina glared daggers at him but said nothing. She herself had resurrected the most volatile Mikaelson of them all. Just because she hated Klaus didn't mean she didn't understand why Caroline, and Hope, wanted him back.

Hope gaped at their temerity. She knew how her aunt and uncle felt about her father; but hearing them say it so bluntly was something entirely different. It felt like betrayal. "How very generous of you," she snarked, eyes narrowing.

"It is, actually," Davina threw in. "The dead aren't meant to rise. It upsets the balance."

Caroline scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, Davina? Your 'risen' husband," she said accusingly, making finger quotes, "is literally sitting next to you because you've both come back from the dead… repeatedly."

"And in case you've forgotten," Hope added, "I'm the one who broke The Hollow's link and allowed you to stay alive after YOU upset the balance."

"Yes," Davina confirmed. "I did upset the balance and I paid for it with my life. I got Kol back, but the price was that the ancestors forced him to kill me in retaliation. I was dead for five years because of what I did," she said seriously, all traces of judgement gone. The witch reached across the table and once again took the younger girl's hand. This time she didn't pull away as her aunt continued her explanation. "I didn't come and bring this up to start a war," she said, casting a pointed glare at the angry blonde.

When Davina spoke again, her voice was soft, even gentle. "I know that your father loved you because he died for you, the way Kol would die for me." Kol gave his wife a soft smile. He would give his eternal life for her human life without a moment's hesitation, of this Hope had no doubt. "I dedicated my life to restoring his. That's why I know that you and Caroline," she added, nodding her head at the undead mother, "will do whatever it takes to bring Klaus back." Hope cast her eyes to Caroline. They both nodded in agreement without hesitation. Whatever it takes. However long it takes.

"Magic is about balance," Davina continued, her husband nodding his head in confirmation. "If the day comes that you do find a spell, I want you to prepare yourself for the cost in a way that I didn't. I was arrogant and it cost us five long years. Don't repeat my mistake, Hope," she said, her words spoken from the heart. "There's always a loophole, but that means there is always a price to pay. That kind of power is never free. Make sure you can afford whatever it is because there are no refunds when it comes to resurrection," she said seriously. "Be smart. Look at it from every angle. I meant it when I said that I will not help you bring him back, but you are my family, always and forever. So, I won't stop you, either; and that isn't easy for me to say after everything he put us through."

Hope nodded her head solemnly. She knew how much Davina hated her father. She fully understood how much love the couple had for her that they wouldn't intervene. "Thank you. That's a lot, coming from you."

"Well, I'm not finished," the pretty brunette continued. "I want you to be 100% sure upsetting the balance is the right thing to do, and not just for the world, but for you. You have my word that I will be there to help you figure out that cost, even if you hate me for telling you if I think it's too high. At the end of the day, it needs to be your decision, but I am not doing you any favors if I let you walk into it blindly. So be sure, Hope. Be sure that Klaus Mikaelson is worth it."

"He's worth everything," Caroline interjected quietly. All eyes shot to her as she reached out and took Hope's hand from Davina, facing the redhead. "As much as I hate to admit it, she's right. It does need to be your decision, but it isn't yours alone. They may not be here to help you," the blonde said, nodding her head at the married couple. "But I am. Whatever the cost, I will pay it either for you or with you. No matter what," she promised, squeezing Hope's hand.

"No matter what," Hope agreed sincerely, hugging her friend tightly. "Well," she said, turning back to her aunt and uncle. "Lizzie and our friends will be back soon from wherever Landon took them to get them out of the house. I'm sure you remember your room, Uncle Kol." Kol nodded his head in confirmation as he and Davina got up from the table.

The couple joined hands and began to walk towards the stairs, but Kol stopped to share one final thing over his shoulder. "Magic isn't just about balance alone, darling…" he said mysteriously. "Offering up one thing for another is never the only price you have to pay. It requires power, too, and it takes a hell of a lot to resurrect an Original… When I came back from the ancestral well, Davina had to sever an entire sire line to harness enough mystical energy to perform the spell." As the two women faced each other, realization dawning, Kol flashed them a familiar Mikaelson smirk before following his wife up the stairs.

Before the remaining women had the chance to discuss everything they'd just learned, Lizzie came rushing through the front door, followed closely by their friends. The perky blonde skipped over to her girlfriend and kissed her on the nose, tugging her up by the hand. "Come on, baby, it's party time," she laughed, spinning Hope around in a circle. The redhead couldn't help but smile. It was good to see Lizzie happy for once, even though she knew it wouldn't last. Happiness never lasted in Hope's life, but if she was lucky, maybe it could last for the day.

Caroline watched as the younger supernaturals went off to their respective rooms to start getting ready for the Christmas ball. She walked over to the window and rested her head against the frozen glass. Her sapphire eyes followed millions of tiny snowflakes dancing in the crystal wind. Her mind flashed back to a simpler time when all she had to think about was a painting of a lonely snowflake created by a lonely man who fell in love with a lonely girl so many Christmases ago. As winter fell from the sky, Caroline smiled, thinking of the day her painter would return.

A/N Aren't I just the worst? I admit that the angst is killing me. The next chapter will have some much-needed sexy time and Christmas fluff… amongst the angst. Stay tuned and please review!


	11. In the Half-Light

A/N Alright readers: I'm back. Here's the next installment in what should have been Season Six. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and especially to those of you who left such kind reviews!

Chapter Ten – In the Half-Light

Mystic Falls – 2023

Davina Claire looked at Klaus Mikaelson with disdain, her intense dislike of him marring her elegant features. Part of her was hoping he wouldn't come through just so she would have one more reason to hate him. "Wow. I can't believe the most selfish man on the planet actually showed up to do something decent," she commented, tone bitchy. "What's in it for you?" she asked suspiciously as he stepped into the circle.

Klaus smiled, humor not reaching his eyes. Caroline knew those eyes. Those hollow eyes. She'd seen them in the Dolomites. Pushing the memory of their massacre aside, she turned back to gaze upon her sleeping daughter: so innocent and yet so troubled. "Isn't the desire to see your face motivation enough?" Klaus asked snidely, consciously avoiding Caroline's direction.

Davina picked up a small copper bowl and eyed him up and down, twisting her face into something as ugly as she saw him. "If you're trying to use me to get to Kol, give it up. He's better off without you," she said confidently. The only reason Kol had come through in the eleventh hour was because saving Hope was his one chance to finally break free from the brother he secretly loved the most. Kol never felt like he belonged with his siblings. Klaus was the only one among them who really understood the madness within that plagued the younger Mikaelson for a millennium. That madness was what drew his older brother to him like a moth to a flame, but it was also what eventually got a dagger in his chest when Klaus' own madness took hold.

Klaus walked towards the circle; hands clasped behind his back to keep himself from reaching out to set a hand on Caroline's lower back. It was almost impossible being around each other and not touching. "And how is my little brother these days?" he asked, tone menacing. "Do tell him I would so love to pop in for a little chat should a coffin become a better option than your marriage," he said with the evil smile Davina knew all too well.

The powerful witch looked at him with all the interest of drying paint. "Dagger threats, Klaus? Is that the best you got?" she mocked. "You gave us his dagger, oh brilliant one," she reminded him with a condescending glare. "Do you really think you can scare me?" Caroline's eyebrows raised in surprise. Klaus surrendered Kol's dagger? He'd never told her that.

Klaus growled deep in the back of his throat, his tone a clear warning. "Oh, I'll do more than scare you if you try anything with this spell, little witch." In spite of his words, the protective edge to Klaus' voice breathed comfort into Caroline's chest, his strength filling her lungs.

Davina's face twisted into confused indignation. "Why are you even here? Why do you care about a little girl you don't even know?" she taunted her brother-in-law. "You don't care about anyone but yourself. Never have. Never will," she added, fervent in her long-held belief that Klaus Mikaelson was beyond redemption. "What's in this for you? Caroline promise you something to get you to be a decent person for a change?"

Klaus' answer caught in his throat as he quickly averted his eyes. The last thing any of them needed was for Davina to find out what Caroline promised him. He looked down at Lizzie laying in the center of the pentagram, sound asleep and bathed in moonlight. When he spoke, his voice was soft but cut with a feral edge. "No child should suffer for the actions of those from whom they descend. You of all people should be able to understand why I came here tonight," he said, eyes flashing yellow as he glared at her pointedly. Relief washed over Caroline at Klaus' clever cover.

Davina looked at him appraisingly. Was Klaus Mikaelson actually doing the right thing for a change? "Hmm. Maybe all this time alone is starting to get to you. For a minute you almost sounded sincere," she snarked, deciding she must not know the whole story.

Klaus' face lost his faux humor. Now he just looked like the menacing beast everyone saw except for Caroline and Hope... back when the tribrid could see her father. "What I do sincerely wish is to get this over with so I can go back to never seeing you again, little witch," he spat angrily, desperate to take Caroline's hand in his. She was the only one who had ever truly been able to quell his eternal rage.

Davina nodded her head in ardent agreement. "The feeling is more than mutual," she said snidely.

"HEY!," Caroline snapped, nerves frayed beyond recognition. Both Klaus and Davina turned to her in surprise… and an appropriate amount of shame, in her opinion. "Can we please focus on my daughter?"

"She's MY daughter, too," Alaric sneered from across the circle.

Caroline pressed her lips together. Holding her hands up to her mouth as if in prayer, she took a deep breath. "Yes, Ric, OUR daughter," she placated. Turning to Davina, "Walk me through it one more time, please." Klaus' dead heart clenched at the exhaustion he heard in her voice. He wanted nothing for than to go to her and promise everything would be ok.

Davina took a deep breath to calm herself, intentionally ignoring Klaus' death glare. Mikaelsons may have stuck together always and forever, but in-laws definitely did not. Forcing a smile, the brunette witch turned to Alaric and explained it again. "I'll use Klaus' blood to put a dampener on Lizzie's ability to siphon and practice magic." Turning to Caroline, she added emphatically, "It's not the same as a full binding and it's not a permanent solution to her outbursts, but it will help."

Alaric nodded, his expression pensive as his chin rested on his curled index finger, elbow propped up by his forearm crossed over his chest. "How much help are we talking here, Davina?"

Davina opened her mouth to answer but no words came out. Looking at the anxious father, she shrugged. "I really can't say."

Alaric rolled his eyes and scoffed. "You expect us to just sit here and watch you curse our nine-year-old and you 'really can't say' what good it'll do?" he snarled, making angry finger quotes. "Even this idiot said it was torture," he shouted, gesturing at the rapidly angering hybrid.

"The little witch just said that it's not the same as a binding ritual, Saltzman. Pay attention," Klaus growled, eyes glowing. "What was done to me is nothing compared to what Davina has proposed; and since it's my blood you need to pull it off, I suggest you hold your tongue!"

"Oh, don't act like you're suddenly some kind of savior because you showed up to do one decent thing in a millennium full of nothing but selfish bullshit," Alaric countered, memories of his murdered girlfriend rushing back to him.

Before Klaus could reply, Davina joined in. "He has a point," the young witch snipped. "It's not like you're one of the good guys all of a sudden. So, why are you here again?"

Klaus threw up his hands and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Does it mean nothing to you people that I'm a father, too?" Setting one hand on his hip, he shouted at Alaric with his pointer finger raised in a very Caroline-esqu manner. "You are not the only one here with a magical child descended from hateful ancestors."

"They're YOUR ancestors!" Alaric attacked. "Nobody in MY family is evil! My little girls are a thousand years removed from this shit. Your MOTHER created the worst monsters to ever walk the face of the earth!"

"Hey!" Caroline shouted, hand on hip, jaw dropping in indignation. "OUR daughters exist because of his mother, ok? So, I suggest you shut your mouth."

"Yes, Alaric, do take our suggestions," Klaus added, face bleeding with smug satisfaction as he internally cheered for the woman he loved.

"That!" Alaric shouted, pointing between Caroline and Klaus. "That is why you're here, Klaus, and don't even pretend it isn't."

"Beg pardon, mate, can't say I follow?" Klaus replied in faux confusion, daring the human to finish the indication the hybrid would happily remove his heart for implying.

Alaric scoffed. "Drop the act, hybrid. We all know you're here because you're hoping for a repeat of the massive mistake Caroline made when she let you f-"

Before he could finish the obscenity, Caroline had him pressed up against a tree with her hand choking his throat as he gasped for air. She bared her fangs and let her veins go black as she growled, "Finish that sentence and it'll be the last one you ever speak." Alaric's face turned beet red before she finally dropped him a foot to the ground, snarling when he glared at her from the forest floor. She spun around and pointed her finger at Klaus' smug grin. "Don't start," she warned, fangs receding when she caught his eyes soften just the slightest bit at the sight of her face. Vampire. Human. He didn't care. He loved her. She was perfect.

Holding his hands up in mock surrender, Klaus cleverly redirected the conversation to Davina. "Sweetheart," he began with thinly veiled condescension in his tone, "what CAN you tell us about the ritual? You assured us no harm will come to Caroline's little one." He smirked when he saw rage flash in Alaric's eyes at his qualifier. "What can we expect to happen?"

Davina slowly shook her head back and forth and released a long-suffering sigh. "I wrote this spell myself, guys. It's not every day I have to temporarily bind a little girl with the blood of the only living immortal to have ever reversed a binding. This is magic, not science."

Klaus hummed as he thought about it, staring down at the blonde little angel Caroline loved so much. A thought occurring to him, he asked the young witch, "What did you mean temporarily? Will it need to be redone?"

"No," Davina said quickly, holding up a fast hand at Alaric to stop whatever nasty comment his mind was formulating at the prospect of needing Klaus again in the future. "What I meant was it won't stop The Merge. The bond to your blood will last as long as you're alive…ish," she qualified. Staring him up and down, she snarked, "Which, in spite of my best efforts, does seem to be permanent. Unfortunately."

"Well, we can dream," Alaric added with a sneer.

"For your daughter's sake, you'd best hope it is," Klaus growled, stalking towards him menacingly.

Holding up a hand to halt Klaus before the anger on Alaric's face turned to action, Caroline interjected, "Can you take a guess how much help it'll be?" When Davina didn't answer, Alaric began tapping his foot… his most annoying habit as far as she was concerned. Klaus glared at him, his fists clenching at the way he was sneering at all of them with disgust. Ungrateful jackass. After a beat, Caroline flashed Davina her best Miss Mystic smile and added, "Please? Just ballpark it for us?"

Klaus quickly turned around, presumably to look up at the moon. He knew that phony smile and it took everything in him not to laugh at her. He hadn't fallen for that smile since the prom dress incident… and even then, he knew she was hustling him. Caroline wasn't going to give up until she got some kind of an answer out of Davina; if not for her own peace of mind, then to shut up Alaric. Sighing again, the brunette took a guess. "Like I said, it's like turning down a dimmer switch. It won't stop the episodes completely, but it should tone them down and make them less frequent." The witched sighed. "If nothing else, it will keep Eledain from gaining anymore control than she already has." She turned to look at each of them in turn with a raised eyebrow. "Any more questions or can we do this thing? The moon is at its apex. We can't wait any longer."

Klaus held up his hands in mock defeat. Caroline took a deep breath and blew it out with puffed cheeks, hands on hips. Alaric gave her a brief nod. "Alright, let's begin." Turning to Alaric, she held the bowl in front of her. "I need a little of your blood," she said as she held up a small silver dagger. Seeing his look of apprehension, she quickly assured him, "Don't worry. I just need a few drops." Caroline sucked in a sharp breath as Davina began chanting.

Alaric held out his hand, wincing when the knife pierced the center of his palm. "Hey, watch it with that thing," he said bitterly, sucking in a deep breath as he flipped his hand over, blood dripping into the copper bowl. Caroline couldn't help but feel a small bit of satisfaction at Alaric's discomfort. She hoped it hurt like hell.

"Oh, what's the matter, professor?" Klaus taunted, happy to have a reason to fall back into his long-forgotten role of the bastard of Mystic Falls. "Does it hurt to bleed a little for your daughter? Can't say I have that problem," he said with a condescending smirk as he held his hand out for Davina. She had stopped in the middle of the circle to chant, one leg on either side of Lizzie as smoke began to rise from the boiling blood, dagger pointed overhead, blade aligned with the full moon.

"No, I guess you don't," Alaric agreed as a smug smile spread. "You actually have to be around your children to know what it's like to hurt for them," he spat, face twisted into a sneer. Caroline felt her own blood begin to boil within her veins as the smell of burning herbs filled the air.

Klaus flashed to Alaric, invading his space so much that their noses touched as his eyes glowed gold. "Come again, mate?" he whispered dangerously, claws extending from the tips of his fingers. "Didn't quite catch that," he added, curling up his lip to reveal his dropping fangs.

Caroline flashed to them, gently placing a soothing hand on Klaus' tense shoulder as the two men battled for the dominance she couldn't have cared less about. One day the twins would be grown. She and Klaus could really start their lives and travel the world together. And they would never have to see Alaric's judgmental face ever again. Looking between them both, she covertly gave Klaus' bicep a light squeeze to bring him back to her. The hybrid instantly relaxed into her touch. "Guys, the moon is at its apex. We don't have time to play 'Who has the most testosterone.' Knock it off," she chided, pushing them apart with her vampire strength. Alaric stumbled back involuntarily. Klaus stepped back because he chose to do so, smirking at the other man as he nearly lost his footing.

Davina finished chanting and held out the bowl, beckoning Klaus to hold out his hand. "Don't worry," the immortal father said with a wink at Alaric, "I don't cry over a little spilt blood." Alaric took an aggressive step forward, but Caroline stilled him with an iron hand to his chest. Klaus smirked at how easy it was for his lover to subdue the man he viewed as worthless before turning back to Davina. Her saccharine smile dripped with mirth as she slit his wrist as slowly and deeply as she could, dragging to blade across as much skin as possible. A threatening growl emanated from the back of his throat as his eyes flashed hybrid, but he said nothing as his blood poured into the bowl.

Klaus joined Caroline on one side of the circle as Alaric stood alone, Davina kneeling in the middle of the pentagram next to Lizzie. Caroline let her long winter coat fall open so she could secretly take Klaus' hand. Without a sound, he entwined their fingers and gave her a gentle squeeze. Davina used the crimson blade to add a small drop of Lizzie's blood to the bowl before she lit the candles with a whisper. "Don't worry, love," he whispered so softly that no human could hear his tender words. "I'm here. It'll be alright."

Without moving her lips, Caroline replied, "I know. I love you." He responded with a tight squeeze as the witch resumed chanting in a forgotten language that Klaus alone understood. He'd called Freya to brush up on his ancient magical dialogues the minute he got off the phone with Caroline. There was no way he was taking a chance on trusting Davina Claire with Lizzie's safety; although he lied and told Freya he was concerned about his own. He listened carefully as her incantation came to fruition, but the words matched the spell his big sister emailed him from the city he could never call home.

The spell she'd written was complex and required a lot of mystical energy, but it didn't take long for the former harvest girl. Smoke from burning herbs filled the air as Lizzie rose from the forest floor. The little girl lay floating in a red cloud of pulsing mystical energy as Davina bound her magic to Klaus. Without warning, Klaus suddenly fell to his knees. His scream echoed in the distance as pain seared a trail through his entire body. Caroline's eyes widened in livid shock. It took every bit of restraint she'd ever had not to fall by his side. The hybrid's body glowed bright red, steam rising from his skin as fire blazed through his screaming veins. He'd combusted in the sun and burned less. Caroline's heart twisted around and around before falling to the pit of her stomach as terror for her daughter and lover scorched her.

Davina slowly finished her chanting, enjoying the hateful look on Klaus' face as he willed himself to be silent for Caroline's sake. His glare at Davina was nothing compared to his rage at Alaric's glee. The furious hybrid was nothing less than murderous as the magic finally left him. As Lizzie floated gently to the ground, Caroline breathed a long sigh of relief. Davina looked over at Klaus with her own smug smirk. "Sorry," she apologized in a tone that clearly conveyed she was anything but. "Did I forget to mention that it was gonna hurt YOU?" she taunted, her strawberry lips curling up in a satisfied smirk.

Alaric Saltzman would never admit that he was terrified of Klaus Mikaelson, but he wasted no time scooping up his daughter and scurrying off with her like the little weasel Caroline knew him to be as soon as the hybrid made it to his feet. The blonde mother needed to get to her daughter, but in truth she wanted nothing more than to run to Klaus. She had no doubt that he would tell his sister-in-law to go to hell if she said a word against them, but Caroline couldn't risk anything getting back to Alaric. The young vampire groaned and turned to Davina, intentionally turning her back on Klaus. "Davina, thank you so mu-"

"You're welcome," Davina said quickly. "We're good. Go check on your daughter," she said firmly. Caroline met Klaus' eyes for a brief second before averting her gaze. She nodded her thanks at Davina and flashed after Lizzie without a word to her lover. The young witch's smile immediately faded when she turned to Klaus. "And you can go back to whatever dark corner of the world is furthest from me," she sassed, her tone scathing.

Davina's words barely registered with the immortal hybrid as fury consumed him. He knew Caroline was right to run off the way she had, but it did nothing to assuage his unholy ire at their situation. When he saw genuine agony flashing in her sapphire eyes as Alaric rushed away with their daughter like Lizzie wasn't hers, too, it took every bit of restraint not to rip the man's heart from his chest. Unfortunately, white hot wrath wasn't all he felt. Gut-wrenching sorrow at the way Caroline was forced to turn her back on him ripped through his chest. He narrowed his eyes as they flashed gold in Davina's general direction. She rolled her eyes and waved her hand, smirking as he fell to his knees when a magical aneurysm tore him apart. She was driving off in her Porsche before he stopped screaming.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Caroline hadn't even finished knocking before Klaus opened the front door to his long-vacated mansion, immediately taking her in his strong arms. He picked her up and flashed them to his bedroom before the solid oak slammed shut behind them. "Shhhh, it's ok, sweetheart. I'm here," he cooed quietly as he gently lay her on his giant, fluffy bed. He crawled in next to her and wrapped her up under the covers. She buried her face in his light grey Henley, breathing in his comforting scent. He held her against his chest and rubbed her back until she finally looked up at him.

"Thank you for coming," she said, kissing him lightly on the lips.

Klaus tucked a stray curl behind her ear, his thumb grazing her cheek. "Always and forever, Caroline." He leaned in and kissed her forehead before meeting her eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?" Caroline vehemently shook her head. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about it. She was right behind them, but Alaric had driven off without her. She was livid by the time she flashed back to the school, arriving long before her children's traitorous father. She barely managed to restrain herself while they put Lizzie to bed, but it had taken a lot of effort for the retired head cheerleader.

Once the twin's parents were out of earshot, Alaric had been nothing less than brutal in his verbal assault on the man who flew in to help their daughter. She hadn't yet formulated a response before he was screaming in her face that she'd better not defend him. She yelled. He yelled back. She yelled louder. Then he made the mistake of calling her a very unflattering name while referencing the time she'd had sex with Klaus against a tree. She'd thrown him against the wall hard enough to leave a jackass-shaped dent.

"Is there anything I can do?" Klaus asked softly, gently caressing her temple.

"Yeah," she said mischievously, nodding as she climbed on top of him, pushing the covers aside. She brought her mouth down on top of his for a bruising kiss, his eyes widening in surprise. "You can distract me," she whispered seductively into his ear before pulling up to peel her long-sleeved red chiffon blouse over her messy curls, an impish grin on her face. Klaus smirked, quickly sitting up against the massive headboard and tugging her into his lap. He wound his fingers in her thick locks, his other hand tearing off her lacy black push-up bra. She really needed to start buying lingerie in bulk... or stop wearing it altogether. Klaus was hell on leather and lace.

"I can do that," Klaus growled into her mouth as his tongue swam around hers. She ripped his shirt in half and slid it down his arms, casting the offensive material aside in her desperation to put skin on skin. She ground down on his already hard cock through their jeans, stiff nipples grazing his chest.

Klaus wrapped his arms around her back, but before he could roll over on top of her, she pulled her mouth away and panted between their flushed lips, "Don't even think about it." She wove her manicured hands into his short curls and pulled their chests together as she took control. She playfully tugged his bare arms over their heads and pinned his wrists to cherry wood headboard, biting his lower lip hard enough to fill their mouths with his blood.

Smirking, Klaus quickly leaned in and bit into her jugular, making her gasp at his bold move as he drank deeply from her neck. She threw her head back and moaned, holding onto his shoulders for support as he swallowed sip after sip of her hot, sticky, pulsing blood. Caroline made no move to remove his fangs from her throat, but she did pull one of his erotically experienced hands down to her button. He quickly unsnapped it and tugged down the zipper of her low-cut black jeans. She gasped when he pulled his fangs out just as his talented fingers slipped between her lips to find her clit. He smiled into her mouth when he felt how wet she was for him as his bloody tongue met hers in a crimson inferno.

Red dripped down their chins and ran in rivulets down Caroline's bare breasts. Klaus lifted her just enough to rip off her jeans, shredding the thick fabric like tissue paper in his haste to get between her legs. "Fuck!" she shouted when he entered her with two fingers, thumb circling her clit as she rode his hand. He pumped his fingers in and out of her warm center, sending her higher and higher. Klaus grinned evilly as she neared the edge. He pulled her breasts to his face so he could bite a nipple, sinking his fangs in her creamy flesh to drink from her again. The twin pinches were the last push she needed to fall off the cliff as an orgasm electrified her.

Klaus thrust into her over and over until she finished riding out her high. She pulled her nipple out of his mouth, his teeth sharply nipping her along the way. She straddled his lap, kissing him senseless. She licked and bit her way down his neck until she sunk her razor fangs into his artery. He groaned as she drank from his neck, dragging his claws down her back, painting her in bright red stripes just shy of breaking skin. She pulled off his neck and sucked in deep gulps of air, both of them trying to catch their breath.

Caroline recovered just enough to resume her sensual assault of his neck. She licked his blood as it dripped down over his feather bird tattoo. On her way down, she stopped to nibble each of his sharp nipples. She kissed and licked her way down his muscled abdomen until she got to his belt. He watched in fascination as she quickly tore off the strip of leather, ripping his belt loops in the process as she threw it out the window, glass shattering on the hardwood floor. She unsnapped his button and unzipped his jeans in record time, immediately taking his throbbing cock in her mouth.

Klaus wound his fingers in her hair, his other hand reaching down to torment one of her nipples in the way that always made her beg for more. She leaned into his fingers as she swirled her tongue around his thick head. He groaned and pulled her golden curls tight around his fingers as she sucked him up and down, torturing him with her mouth. He tilted her head a little to one side to get a better view of her lips around him. She quickly slapped his hand hard enough to break his fingers had he been human.

The hybrid barked out a laugh at her uncharacteristic ferocity. "Somebody's feisty this evening," he teased, slapping her ass playfully. "Fuck, Caroline!" he shouted when she suddenly swallowed him whole, his head hitting the back of her throat. "Just like that, love, fuck," he panted, dirty blonde curls hitting the headboard as his eyes rolled shut. "Keep fucking doing that." Klaus almost never used that word, but when he did, it was almost always when they were in bed. She twisted her tongue around, making him rip at her hair, his grip in her curls iron as she bobbed up and down. "Fuck, love, I'm close…" he warned.

Caroline popped up and pulled him on top of her, kissing him passionately. "Not yet, you're not," she growled as she aggressively pushed his head down between her legs. While he was surprised by how she manhandled him, he wasted no time eagerly latching his raspberry lips around her clit, licking her up and down as she squirmed around his stubble. "God, Klaus, fuck," she panted, rolling her hips to meet his fingers as he thrust them deep inside of her. "Make me come again," she commanded, eyes rolling back as her head dug into his feather pillows.

"Yes ma'am," he hummed playfully in his British accent, tongue darting in between her folds as his pace increased. He moved his fingers in and out of her in a punishing rhythm, adding a third when he felt her getting close. He nibbled her little bud, making her cry out his name in a strangled garble. He enthusiastically devoured her as she wrapped her legs around his neck, ripping his mouth closer to her by his hair as he so often did to her. Tonight, she needed to be on top. So much had been so far beyond her control that she needed this. She needed him. He hooked his fingers and sucked her clit hard, attacking it with his talented tongue in sharp swirls. She came with a shout, hips moving up and down as she soared into the atmosphere.

Klaus slowly brought her back down, licking her gently until she stopped twitching. She released her hold on his shoulders, setting her feet down on the plush comforter. He looked up at her flushed face, a mischievous smirk firmly in place as he leaned it to nip her lips in rapid succession, making her jump as she playfully swatted at him. He laughed at her indignation as he crawled on top of her, caging her in with his arms. "My turn," he growled into her mouth as he kissed her, pulling her closer to him with a strong hand on one creamy thigh.

Caroline's eyes snapped open as an impish grin illuminated her cherry lips. Before he knew what was happening, she had him pressed up against the headboard once more. "I don't think so," she taunted as she lowered herself on top of him, taking all of him inside of her. He attacked her mouth with vicious kisses, tongues twisting as she began to move, rolling her hips to hit their favorite spots. She worked her way down his throat, leaving bleeding bites in her wake, until she pierced his carotid. Her pace increased to nearly inhuman speed as she rode him up and down.

"Whatever you say, love," he gasped, vehemently nodding his approval. "Just keep doing that," he rasped in a gravelly whisper, digging his nails into her hips. Caroline pulled his hand out of her hair and moved it between her legs, once again taking control of his mouth. She groaned down his throat when his finger circled her clit, harsh stubble ticking her soft lips. "You like that?" he growled around their tongues as they danced together in between their open mouths. She nodded her head as his motions sped up, her skin flushing as pleasure washed over her. He smirked into their kiss as he slowed his finger. "You want more?" he teased, biting her lower lip with his human teeth.

"Mmmhmmm," Caroline confirmed, swirling her hips to make him go faster. "More, Klaus, more," she panted, rolling her hips as another orgasm flooded her system with blissful dopamine and mind-numbing norepinephrine. She ripped her lips away from his mouth and offered him her neck as she shattered all around him, slick, fleshy walls clenching over and over. Klaus happily sunk his fangs into her throat as he sent her flying. She furiously bounced up and down through her own wave until he tumbled down the rabbit hole alongside her, greedily drinking from her as he filled her completely. He pulled away and kissed her deeply while they both slowly came back down, the sweet metallic flavor of their combined blood coating their lips.

It was several minutes before their heartbeats slowed enough for them to reluctantly pull themselves apart. Klaus closed his jeans and tugged Caroline's naked body against him, kissing the top of her sweaty curls. Looking up at him, she whispered, "I love you." She pecked him on the lips one last time before sleep came for her.

Klaus wrapped her up in his strong, protective arms as his own eyes fell shut. "I love you, too," were the last words he spoke before he, too, drifted off to sleep.

Mystic Falls – Christmas Night, 2031

Lizzie came up behind Hope as she examined herself wearing Caroline's gown in a free-standing full-length mirror framed in antique mahogany. The blonde witch was wearing an elegant floor-length shimmery silver off the shoulder gown with a sweetheart neckline made of silk with an airy chiffon overlay. Around her neck was a Mikaelson family heirloom white gold necklace encrusted with diamond and topaz. She had a silver comb in her hair in the same jeweled pattern. Hope was wearing a silver circlet that made her look every bit the princess Lizzie knew her to be. They made the perfect couple.

Josie and Penelope walked in Hope's room hand in hand. Josie was wearing a sleek black evening gown with silver beadwork decorating the bottom half as it floated above her ankles. Penelope was wearing a sexy silk red halter top jumpsuit with airy chiffon overlays and a plunging V-neckline that had Josie staring hungrily at her barely covered breasts. The lusty gaze was more than mutual as the young witch stared at the way the siphon's sexy lingerie pushed up her breasts. All of them were wearing shiny high heeled sandals and plenty of sparkling accessories from the Mikaelson family vault.

After exchanging obligatory compliments, the four women walked down the giant marble staircase and met Landon, Rafael and MG at the bottom, all of them dressed to the nines in handsome tuxedos. Rafael and MG both wore white shirts and had girlfriends who joined their little band of misfits for the evening, but Landon stood alone in all black. Hope gave him a hug and tugged him to the dance floor.

Caroline took a sip of Cristal from a crystal champagne flute and smiled at all the dancing couples. She had gone into Klaus' creepy trophy case of family collectibles, as she had once called it so many years before, and found another dress of royal caliber. She had chosen an ice blue off the shoulder empire waist ball gown with layers of tulle covered in silver lace appliqued snowflakes floating over a satin skirt and a boned corset bodice decorated with artful white beadwork. Her bright blonde hair was woven around white gold and diamond hair pieces. Klaus would have called her a queen, had he been alive. She looked over sadly at the place they'd had their first dance at the first Mikaelson family ball.

"Well," a smooth voice with an Australian accent began, "I hate to admit it, but that looks better on you than it did on me." Caroline turned around to see the smiling face of Rebekah Mikaelson. She was wearing a velvet forest green ball gown fit for royalty. The two blonde women embraced for a long moment before the Original vampire pulled away. "Thank you for this, Caroline. This is lovely," she said, gesturing around at the lavish Christmas décor. "You are lovely," she added sincerely. "Nik will be cross to have missed this. Best take lots of pictures for him to choose from when he inevitably paints the evening," she teased with a wink, sipping her own flute of sparkling gold.

Caroline rolled her eyes at the woman she once hated. Since Klaus had died, Caroline had been embraced from afar by the surviving Mikaelson siblings. It had been a long time since they'd been in the same place, but they were far from strangers. "Word travels fast I see," she snarked, sitting down on the dark red chesterfield in the parlor room just beyond the dance floor, the warm sounds of crackling fire logs blending in with the soft carols playing in the background.

Rebekah joined her on the Victorian antique and sat back into the plush upholstery. "Don't be daft, Caroline. You don't think I need my brother to tell me everything, do you?" she asked teasingly, a smile on her elfin face. "Davina went to hell and back to be with Kol, literally, and they have only one lifetime together. We're immortal," she told the younger vampire, touching her knee. "We have an eternity for always and forever. I've always known you and Hope would find a way."

Caroline returned her smile for a brief moment before releasing a long sigh and leaning back into the sofa. "As of now, we haven't found much of anything except more questions than we have answers."

Rebekah turned to face the other blonde, propping herself up with her elbow on the back of the couch. "Tell me everything," she said simply. Caroline sighed again before sharing what she and Hope had figured out thus far, the most promising of which was still the mysterious Egyptian urn. It took more than an hour to explain everything in enough detail to satisfy the most inquisitive Original. "I have to say I'm surprised," she said finally, tossing her artfully curled blonde locks over her shoulder. Rebekah smirked when Caroline raised a pale eyebrow at her. "I'm surprised that Kol actually had to spell it out for you. It's a testament to the power of the Christmas spirit that Davina didn't dagger him on the spot," she laughed.

Caroline glared at her for a long moment before eventually rolling her crystal blue eyes and flashing her an exasperated smile. "We weren't all born Mikaelson witches, Rebekah," she pointed out. "Not all of us automatically consider channeling the power of a Nexus vorti to fuel a resurrection spell in our spare time."

"Your mistake then," the youngest Mikaelson sibling teased. "Ah, here he is," Rebekah said, taking her husband's hand and rising to stand at his side, a warm smile spreading across her face as she drank in the sight of the man she loved.

Marcel kissed his wife's cheek before offering his hand to Caroline and pulling her to her feet for a hug. "Caroline," he said with a dazzling white smile. "You throw quite the party. I should have had you plan our wedding."

Caroline laughed at the death glare Rebekah shot her husband. "Yeah, maybe then you might have had one," the former beauty queen joked brightly. She held up her manicured hands in mock defense when the glare turned her way. "Hey, it's not my fault you ran off and eloped to Hawaii," she teased, voice tinged with amusement.

Marcel kissed his wife on her rosy cheek again and finally drew a smile out of her. "What can I say?" he asked with a shrug, turning to Caroline as his arm snaked around Rebekah's lower back. "I waited a couple of hundred years for this woman," he said, gazing down at her fondly. "Can you blame me for wanting to make it official as fast as possible? These Mikaelsons are a mercurial bunch to marry into, just so you know," he added with a wink. Caroline's laughter echoed through the parlor room, her head nodding up and down in agreement. "But I guess you'll find that out for yourself someday," he said good naturedly.

Caroline's heart clenched at Marcel's words as she thought about the man who once called him son. She smiled her best Miss Mystic smile, but she wasn't fooling the unkillable immortals. She huffed out a grim laugh and wiped away a stray tear threatening to ruin her perfect mascara. "I hope you're right," she whispered, breath catching in her chest. "All of this," she said, her voice thick with emotion as she swept her arm around the room, "doesn't mean all that much without Klaus."

The trio turned when they heard a feminine groan float into the parlor from the dance floor. Davina twirled towards them, Kol spinning her around in her floaty white evening gown. "Haven't I heard his name enough for one decade?" the brunette asked in mock annoyance, her face anything but malicious as she hugged her sister in law tightly, smiles illuminating their pale features. "Marcel!" she squealed happily, breaking out of Rebekah's arms to launch herself at her oldest friend and one-time savior.

"Hey there, kiddo," the chocolate sinned immortal greeted happily, spinning around the woman he once called his daughter as her girlish laughter filled the jolly atmosphere. Pulling back to see Davina in her elegant attire, he continued, "You look beautiful, D. That California sun's keeping you young, I see."

Kol scoffed. "That and literal witchcraft," he joked. He shook hands with Marcel and the two shared a friendly nod before the two youngest Mikaelsons fell into each other's immortal arms for the first time in years. "Hello, darling," Kol greeted her affectionately. He looked her up and down, taking in the v-cut neckline of her long satin ball gown. "Still dressing like a strumpet, I see," he teased, jumping away just in time to avoid her hand hitting the back of his messy brown hair. "Good to know marriage hasn't changed your slutty taste in evening wear, sweet sister." He yelped when Rebekah flashed to him and smacked the back of his head hard enough to send him reeling, stopped only by his wife's arm reaching out to catch him before he crashed into their oldest sister.

Freya Mikaelson joined the group, a dark-skinned baby boy in a Santa suit cradled against her chest as he slept soundly in spite of the sounds of celebration. Keelin followed close behind, ankles flanked by two beautiful little girls with big smiles, olive skin and piercing blue almond eyes. They had artfully styled golden curls falling down their backs in waves, their fingers and toes painted pale pink with French tips. One was wearing a red velvet Christmas dress while the other was in green, both of their skirts floating just above the marble tile. Rebekah's smile lit up her face at the sight of the twin four-year-olds, leaning down to pick up one of her newest nieces.

"Hello, my sweet little Kaylyn," Rebekah cooed, kissing her niece on the cheek.

The other twin tugged on Rebekah's skirt. "Hey, I want kisses, too, Auntie Beks!" she complained in her angelic little voice. "Don't forget me!"

Rebekah beamed and picked up the second twin and kissed her cheek, settling one on each hip. "I could never forget you, beautiful Astrid." Rebekah leaned in to kiss her sister on the cheek, turning her head so Freya could do the same. "The girls look lovely, as always, but this little one is the most handsome of all," she cooed, kissing her baby nephew on the forehead. "He really does look just like you, Keelin."

Freya nodded her head as she rolled her eyes. "Which is why SHE should have been the one to carry him."

Keelin looked at her wife and scoffed, tossing long black curls over her shoulder. "If we're playing that game, then you should have carried your own twins," she teased, taking their son into her arms for a quick hug before passing him off to his mischievous uncle.

"Science is a miraculous thing. Isn't that right, my perfect little Finnley?" Kol cooed as he baby-talked to the tiny Santa with big brown eyes. "May he be more interesting than the last Finn Mikaelson," he added with a wink at Rebekah.

"Let's hope he achieves a bit more than that, dear brother," Rebekah agreed, amusement twinkling in her topaz eyes.

The Mikaelson clan chatted happily as they each took turns dancing with the hyperactive twins. Kaylyn and Astrid had boundless energy and eternal smiles on their supernatural faces. Both young witches were already showing signs of their Mikaelson heritage. Caroline idly wondered if they would come to the school when they were older. She hoped so. It would be lovely to have more of Klaus' family in Mystic Falls.

Kol spun Astrid around in ballet circles, her airy giggle filling the ball room as she crashed into Penelope's shins. Josie leaned down, one knee touching the marble as she held out her hand for the bubbly twins, Kaylyn having rushed over from Caroline to discover new friends. "Hello, my lovelies," she greeted, shaking each tiny hand in turn. "I'm Josette and this is my girlfriend Penelope," she introduced the pretty witch with mysteriously smudged lipstick and disheveled hair.

"Those are funny names," the younger twin commented, making a face. "I'm Astrid and this is my big sister, Kaylyn," she said very formally, curtsying adorably.

"We have normal names," the older twin nodded her agreement. She walked right in front of Josie and leaned in to examine her carefully. "Do you have a baby, Josie?" Astrid asked innocently.

Josie laughed as she stood up. "No, I can't say that I do. What makes you think that?"

"You're not wearing a bra," Kaylyn explained for her sister with a shrug. Freya clapped a hand over her mouth, mirth shining in her eyes as she and her wife tried not to combust in horrified hilarity.

Astrid nodded her head at her sister in confirmation. "Mama always has one, but Mommy doesn't wear one when we're at home 'cuz she has to feed Finn a lot," she explained as all the adults stifled their laughter.

"Merry Christmas Astrid and Kaylyn," Penelope interjected, laughing at her girlfriend's mortified expression. At least her gown fell to the floor, so the observant twins didn't tell everyone Josie didn't have her panties anymore either. "May we cut in?" she asked, holding out her hand for the tiny twin.

Astrid took Josie's hand immediately, but Kaylyn narrowed her eyes at Penelope suspiciously, considering her offer. Hope and Lizzie walked up and watched the little twin curiously, having overheard from the dance floor. "Ok," she said slowly, "but I don't want you to mess up my hair like yours." The witch's eyes widened, and Hope had to clap a hand over her mouth. She quickly turned her back and joined her father's family as Josie and Penelope led the twins to the dance floor, faces burning.

By the time Hope went around the circle hugging her family and introducing Lizzie, the happy sounds of girlish squeals filled the air as the two women and twins swirled and twirled around the marble floor. Hope held Finn, his chin resting on her shoulder as he slept soundly in spite of the noisy festivities. "Oh, doesn't it make you want one someday?" Lizzie cooed, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend's waist as she smiled at the newest Mikaelson.

Hope's eyes sparkled as her laughter floated through the air. "Not for a very, very long time, but yeah someday." Lizzie pecked her on the lips and nodded her agreement. Turning to her married aunts, she said with a smile, "I love the way you built your family, Aunt Freya, Aunt Keelin. Is Vincent very involved?"

Taking Finn back, Keelin shrugged. "A little bit, but they're our children. He's more like an uncle," she explained. "Thankfully, we live in a time that allows children to have two mommies." Freya looked at her wife and kissed her on the cheek, both of them smiling fondly.

Caroline's heart ached at the way the two wives looked at each other. She wondered if she would ever look that way again. Seeing the familiar pain in her sapphire eyes as she flashed a ruby smile, Hope made a show of walking through the circle of Mikaelsons to drag Landon over to meet her family. "Landon, this is everybody. Everybody, this is Landon," she said quickly.

Catching the glassy eyes of his brother's lover, Kol crossed in front of the blonde vampire and firmly shook Landon's hand. "As you can see, I'm where Hope gets her looks," he said with a smug smile. "I'll leave you to meet my less attractive siblings. Caroline owes me a dance," he added, holding out his elbow out for her.

Caroline took his arm gratefully and let him swirl her onto the dance floor. With the room full of vampires with supernatural hearing, she mouthed her thanks. Kol shook his head dismissively as he spun her around before stepping into the formal waltz, classical music floating off the strings of the quartet Caroline had hired for the evening. "I know I'm not the Mikaelson you'd prefer but do tell my older brother that I took care of your dancing needs while he was away," Kol teased with a wink.

Caroline smiled as they held their hands in the air, their immortal palms a hair's breadth apart. "You and your family seem awfully convinced it's just a matter of time before we figure it out."

Kol rolled his eyes at her pityingly. "After a thousand years, everything becomes just a matter of time," he said, taking her hand and placing his other on her waist. "Patience, poppet. The day will come when you and Hope pull Nik out of whatever hell he's in."

Caroline's face fell. "We don't even know where that is," she said sadly.

"Best find out, then," he said wisely. The rhythm changed and they both moved one step over to take a new partner.

"Something you know that I don't?" she asked hopefully when they stepped back to each other to finish the dance.

"Many things," Kol said with a laugh. "Unfortunately, nothing that can help you with this," he added with a frown.

Looking at the younger brother of the love of her life, she debated whether she wanted the answer to her next question. Taking a chance, she asked, "If there was something… would you do it?"

Kol shrugged as they bowed to each other when the song ended. "It depends on what it was," he answered, taking a glass of champagne from a nearby waiter and handing it to Caroline. She sipped from the crystal flute as they walked to the bar so Kol could get a bourbon. The smell reminded her of Klaus. She sighed at the memory as he sat on a small sofa. Kol sipped his liquor, savoring the smooth taste of his brother's favorite drink. "You know, if you'd asked me that a few years ago, I'd have hung up on you," he said honestly.

Caroline crossed her legs at the ankle as she sat next to him on the green velvet settee she'd bought for the occasion. Hope wasn't the only one Klaus had provided for when he died. She hadn't told him, but she knew one day she would repay every penny… once she figured out how to get  
him back. "And now?" she asked, turning to face him, eyes meeting his.

Once again, Kol shrugged. "It's certainly easier without having to worry about Mikael with his vendetta or Klaus with his daggers," he said truthfully. "I finally have a woman who loves me and whom I love. The only thing I DO have to worry about is how I'll spend the decades that we're apart."

Caroline nodded her head sadly, looking down at her elegant ice blue ribbon sandals. "I get it," she said softly, voice mingling with the twin's giggles as Josie and Penelope spun them around and around.

"Do you?" Kol asked quickly. "Because I don't," he confessed, shaking his head from side to side. "I hated him so much when we were in the Chambre de Chasse, you know?" he asked rhetorically. She knew all about their dysfunctional family; and yet she still wanted to be a part of it herself. "I didn't know it until years later, but Nik gave the order NOT to use Davina to take down Lucien. Freya and Elijah did that on their own, knowing it would mean sentencing the woman I loved to a fate worse than death," he shared, nodding his head in confirmation at the blonde's surprised expression. "It's likely I wouldn't be as charitable if Elijah was the brother you were trying to bring back," he said spitefully.

"I never knew that part," she said, ignoring his final comment. She was always amazed by how much Klaus had changed from the day she watched him snap Tyler's neck.

"I didn't either. Rebekah finally told me the day he died. I was dead set against seeing him even one last time. She said he gave the order because he didn't want me to go through what he just had with Camille," Kol explained. "They were never together, not really; but he loved her as much as he could love anyone back then." Caroline reflected on what Klaus had told her of the long dead therapist who helped him grow into the man who loved his daughter until his dying breath. "And let me tell you, Caroline," he said sincerely, tilting her chin to face him. "My brother never loved anyone the way he loved you," he said emphatically before releasing her.

"I love him, too," she replied in the present tense, eyes stinging with the familiar burn of tears brimming. "There was good in him," she said, nodding. She knew there was because she had seen it long before she admitted how much she loved him back.

"Yeah, he didn't talk a lot about all the good he did… mostly because there wasn't all that much to talk about," he added bitterly, leaning forward on his knees, taking a swig of his bourbon.

Caroline smiled as she remembered all the times Klaus had come through for her, and for Hope. "He had his moments," she whispered, remembering the day she walked out of that bar in New Orleans so he could go die for the daughter who had become her family.

"That he did," Kol agreed. "He was a right ass 99% of the time," he said as memories of threats and daggers filled his mind. After a moment, his ancient anger receded. Davina had changed him the way Caroline had forever changed Klaus. The Original Hybrid who had done those things died long before his body burned to ash. Sighing, Kol conceded, "But there was still a small part of him that was human. I suspect that's the part he showed to you," he surmised, facing her from beneath his long lashes. "That man is the reason I won't stand in your way."

Caroline opened her mouth, but there were no words. Nodding, she sipped her champagne to swallow down the lump in her throat. Kol said nothing while she took a minute to collect herself. He snatched a napkin off a passing tray and quietly handed it to her, patiently waiting for her to continue. Stifling back a sob, she choked out, "I just wish he was here to tell me what to do."

Kol reached over and took her hand as she dabbed at her eyes to spare her cheeks from mascara tracks. "You don't need him, Caroline," he said, ducking down to meet her eyes as she stared at the marble floor. "You want him, but no, you don't need him." He gently shook his head back and forth, squeezing her hand in his. "In a thousand years, you and your little band of misfits were the first to take out not only one Original, but two, myself included."

"I had nothing to do with that," Caroline said quickly, remembering how afraid of Kol she had once been. Times had certainly changed.

Kol barked out a laugh, sitting up to rest one arm on the back of the settee. "Oh, believe me darling, Niklaus made it quite clear that Mystic Falls was off limits once I returned as a witch. Acted as if I didn't know you were the reason why," he said with an eye roll. "Bloody idiot didn't consider how long I spent watching him fawn over you from The Other Side." Casting her a sideways glance, he snarked, "It was revolting."

"Gee, thanks," Caroline laughed, eyes finally starting to dry.

Kol smiled, glad his obnoxious sense of humor was cheering up his brother's paramour. They weren't the best of friends, but the two had definitely bonded since Klaus' death. They exchanged jokes via texts and sent ridiculous memes back and forth more than anything else, but on occasion he had moments like this where he supported her like she was his actual sister. "It was!" he defended, nodding his head insistently. "He spent night after night obsessively sketching you in that very dress Hope is wearing under the mistletoe to snog your daughter," he finished with a smirk.

Caroline spun around on the settee just in time to see Hope's tongue enter Lizzie's mouth from about twenty feet away. Kol whooped and hollered, pelting the kissing couple with baklava from a passing waiter. His glee disappeared when Hope narrowed her eyes at her favorite uncle. Suddenly, his bowtie burst into flames, charring his tuxedo shirt. The three women laughed so hard at his murderous expression that Caroline almost slid off the tiny couch.

"You had that coming, Uncle Kol!" Hope teased in her usual volume, voice carrying over the music to his supernatural ears, now black with soot from his exploding accessory. Turning back to her girlfriend, she smiled, sapphire eyes twinkling under the thousands of tiny white lights illuminating her father's mansion. "Merry Christmas, Lizzie."

Kissing Hope on her ruby lips, Lizzie replied, "Marry Christmas, Hope." Hope wrapped her arms around Lizzie's neck and pulled her much taller girlfriend's mouth down to touch hers in a deeper kiss. Hope nibbled her lower lip, making Lizzie moan in her talented mouth. The blonde siphon dropped her palm to Hope's bottom and kneaded her cheeks with her delicate hand, wrapping her fingers in the blue dress Klaus once gave Caroline. It wasn't long before they joined hands and headed for the giant staircase.

Just as Hope set her four-inch strappy blue Louboutins on the bottom step, Rebekah lay a hand on her niece's elbow. Lizzie glared at her fellow blonde for interrupting them when she needed an orgasm. Seeing the anger in her eyes, Rebekah quickly reassured her in a gentle tone. "Don't worry, Lizzie. I won't keep her long," the Original promised.

Hope carefully pulled her hand away from Lizzie and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll be right up, babe. Wait for me," she whispered into her ear, covertly nipping her lobe around her two-karat diamond earring.

Smiling impishly, Lizzie pinched the front of Hope's dress playfully. "Better be," she teased with a naughty wink on her way to Hope's massive bedroom.

Taking Hope's arm in hers, Rebekah smiled at how happy her niece looked. She deserved a break from Mikaelson family angst, if only for Christmas. "She loves you very much," she said in her Australian lilt, glossy lips twinkling beside the lights on the artfully decorated tree. Hope nodded her agreement, smiling back at her aunt. "I have something for you," she announced happily.

"Aunt Rebekah!" Hope playfully scolded. "We said no gifts!" She stood with one hand on her hip as she shook her head at her aunt. Rebekah leaned down to pick up an elaborately wrapped gift with a giant white bow and reflective silver paper that sparkled under the twinkling lights. Handing it to Hope, the tribrid laughed as she shook the box next to her ear, trying to figure out what was in it. "You didn't have to do this. There's nothing I need that I can't buy for myself. My dad had more than anyone and he left everything to me and Caroline," she said with a curious smile.

Rebekah's face dropped in mock offense, one hand falling to her hip as she sassed, "Marcel and I aren't exactly destitute, dear." Hope couldn't help but laugh out loud at the faux indignation painting her aunt's porcelain features. Giving in and rolling her eyes, she said with amusement, "Besides, it's not that kind of gift. You may not want it, but you'll certainly need it," she added mysteriously, wiggling her eyebrows.

Genuinely curious, Hope began pulling off the bow as she asked, "What is it?"

Rebekah rolled her eyes again, this time with more dramatic flair. "If I wanted you to know right away, I wouldn't have wrapped it," she sassed, scoffing good-naturedly as Hope discarded the shiny mirrored paper. In her hand was an antique box made of cherry wood with elaborate hand carvings etched around the edges. It was beautiful, but barely larger than her hand and not even an inch tall. What could possibly be in it?

Hope opened the box and pulled out an old envelope. Looking at her aunt quizzically, she flipped it over. On a small square of paper over the closure read four handwritten words: 'If you say yes.' Hope let out an airy chuckle and crinkled her nose at the millennium old blonde vampire. "I'm pretty sure you're already married, Aunt Rebekah," she said, voice tinged with confused amusement as she remembered her uncle's proposal. If nothing else, at least her father's death had given Rebekah the courage to let herself choose happiness.

Rebekah smiled at her niece and tucked a red tendril behind her ear. She looked so like her father. Like Kol and Davina, Rebekah and Marcel also had mixed feelings about Klaus' return. For a thousand years, Rebekah, Kol and Elijah watched Klaus rage and murder, ruined by Esther and Mikael's abuse. And then… Caroline. And after her… Hope. Somehow Caroline had found her way back to her one true love as Rebekah had found her way back to Marcel. Caroline and Hope helped redeem the bastard hybrid once known as Klaus Mikaelson: the monster who slaughtered his way across the globe. When Rebekah said goodbye to her brother, she knew she wasn't saying goodbye to Klaus, but to Nik. That was the man she wanted for Hope to know and for Caroline to love.

When it came down to it, none of their lives before their return to Mystic Falls mattered. If anything, one sleepy little town in Virginia reminded the Mikaelsons that always and forever really was forever after all. If this was what it took to bring him home, it was a price Rebekah was willing to pay. Now that she was so close to having the life she always wanted, she desired nothing more than to have her favorite brother by her side living the life he always deserved.

"My answer to Marcel was yes then, as it is my answer to you now, sweet girl," she said gently, smile soft on her cherry lips. Hope raised a brow at her aunt, still amused in spite of the cryptic answer she had just received. "'Yes' to the question you've been wanting to ask me since Marcel and I arrived," Rebekah replied. The tribrid's eyebrows raised in hopeful surprise, her lips falling open. How did Rebekah know? Had Kol said something? Before she could respond with one of a million questions, the blonde playfully pushed her chin up to close her mouth, watching her niece with a small smile.

"When the day comes that you find a way to bring back my favorite brother," the Original began excitedly, setting the envelope back in the box and placing it on a nearby table. "You're going to need a nexus vorti to power the spell." Hope's heart felt like it was on fire as it threatened to break free of her chest. "And I know where you can get one," she explained, a dazzling smile spreading across her face. By the time she took Hope's hands in her own, the tribrid couldn't breathe as terrified anticipation ripped through her gut.

The world stopped spinning as Rebekah looked into her niece's baby blue eyes and made the promise of a lifetime: "Yes, I will let you break my sire line."

Hope's breath left her lungs in a whoosh, her hand flying to her ruby red lips. Her crystal blue eyes began to burn as words of thanks caught in her throat, emotions suffocating her. Was this truly happening? Had she found a piece of the puzzle at last? Was there an actual chance she might one day bring her father home? Was something real finally happening after so many years of chasing shadows? Before sparkling tears could rain down Hope's rosy cheeks, Rebekah embraced her niece in a fierce hug, kissing the top of her red curls and holding her close as she sobbed out her gratitude. "Merry Christmas, Hope."


	12. Defined by My Mistakes

A/N Hey readers! Ohmigosh, it's been so long! I'm so sorry! I got caught up with KC AU Week last month and got a bit behind. Our next event is KC Fanfiction Week. I was originally going to post all of this then, but once again, it just got way too long. I will post the rest of this bear of a chapter next week on Canon-ish fanfic day. Check me out on tumblr at eliliyah.

Thank you all so much for reading! If you liked it/have guesses/want to see more, please take a few seconds to leave me a review. It really helps my motivation. :)

Chapter Eleven – Defined by My Mistakes

Cairo, Egypt – 2024

If anybody asked Caroline Forbes, she'd say that five months was an impossibly long time to go without at least a full week with her beloved. If anybody asked Klaus Mikaelson, he'd say that five minutes was an impossibly long time to be apart at all. It had been five years since the immortal hybrid had been cruelly separated from his family by the dark magic of The Hollow. Between Inadu and Eledain, he'd had just about enough of evil witches who refused to stay dead. The strain of his time spent alone was beginning to wear on him. When he first started his killing spree, he'd told himself it was to protect his older brother, Elijah. Shielded by a millennium of lost memories, the Original vampire left himself vulnerable to attack from any of their many enemies. It was a completely legitimate reason to go after them one by one. However, as time dragged on, his kills became more vicious, and increasingly frequent, as he suffered alone in between brief visits with Caroline. She was all he had left in the world, but he couldn't let her know that. Every time she told him something about his daughter, he prayed Hope hadn't told her that she hadn't spoken to him since that day she'd caught him mid-murder.

Pushing the nagging voice in his head that told him what he was doing was wrong, Klaus shucked off his bloody clothes and showered in his luxurious hotel room in Heliopolis. Once the evidence of his many crimes was safely removed and his clothes tossed in the incinerator, he hopped in his rental car to pick up Caroline at Cairo International Airport. He'd been in Egypt for several weeks scouting out a lead that may help with the Gemini Merge problem facing the Saltzman twins. The fact that several of the men from his so-called "trial" happened to be vacationing on the Mediterranean was serendipitous. He'd justified it to himself that he needed those murders to relax before he was faced with yet another battle with Caroline when he told her this was a contingency plan.

Over the last few years, the immortal hybrid had become convinced that there was no magic answer to stopping the Merge. His answer was to simply feed both Lizzie and Josie his blood before the ceremony. Yes, one would be dead, but only technically. She would come back to life and live forever as a heretic, an immortal vampire-witch hybrid with enough power to rival his own. To his chagrin, she had not taken that suggestion well. What had been an off-the-cuff remark had turned into an hour of her angrily explaining in obsessive detail exactly why she did not want their life for her daughters. Had he been with anyone other than Caroline, he would have fought her tooth and nail in defense of his immortality... but he had been with her, and she'd never given him a reason to lie about his feelings. He caught her by surprise when he told her he completely agreed. He loved his little princess will all his heart, but he wouldn't wish the burden of eternity on her. Sadly, nobody really knew if Hope was immortal or not. There wasn't exactly a precedent for tribrid lifespans, nor was there a safe way to test a theory. He'd confided in Caroline that while he knew it would break his heart to lose her, he wanted her to be human. He wanted her to have everything he and his siblings didn't. What had been stolen from them. He wanted her to live. He wanted her to love. He wanted her to grow up and be strong and beautiful. He thought that was what any father should want, and he knew it's what Caroline wanted for her children as well.

That left him with the problem of keeping them alive even if one of them died. More and more he had been tracking down anything and everything to do with resurrection. His research had led him to a mysterious urn on display in the Grand Egyptian Museum. Knowing what he did of ancient mythology, he supposed it had something to do with the god Osiris, but he was sure his lover's research would be more thorough... once he let her in on the reason for their visit. At the moment, he had more pressing concerns… like the feeling of Caroline's lips moving against his as he pressed her back against the wall beneath the stairs outside baggage claim.

"Hello, love," he growled around their tongues as he eagerly returned her hungry kisses. She'd barely had time to taste him before he flashed them all the way back to the hotel, rental car forgotten in the airport parking lot.

Three days passed before Caroline was able to drag a very reluctant Klaus from their suite. It had always been research first, but she had left Mystic Falls with enough organization to survive the summer holidays without her for at least three weeks… four tops… if he kept looking at her like that. Research could wait just a few days when all she could think about was the feral gleam in his eyes when his irises bled gold as he ravaged her over and over.

"No," she said firmly, holding up her pointy finger. "My clothes are staying on for the rest of the day."

"But you look so much better without them," he said in his silky British accent, his husky tone as he placed his hands on her hips almost enough to distract her from the mission at hand.

"I always look good," she scoffed, tossing her long blonde curls over her shoulder. "You can get me naked later. If you won't tell me why we're here, you're at least taking me out," she said bossily. Unable to deny her anything, he chucked and nodded his head. At her delighted squeal, he pulled her closer and kissed her deeply, his tongue massaging hers as he palmed her ass through her jeans. "Hey! What did I say about clothes!" she complained half-heartedly as his rough stubble tickled her face. When he splayed his palm across the bare skin of her abdomen beneath her shirt, she moaned into his mouth, melting into the hard planes of his chest. She was strongly reconsidering her resolve when the elevator doors dinged open to reveal the parking garage. They shared a smirk as memories of Turin came to mind.

"Be glad you don't have a scarf handy or I'd have you naked and writhing again that column," he whispered into her ear as he opened her door, nibbling her lobe as the smell of her arousal filled his nostrils. It was with great difficulty that he finally managed to get them on the road.

"El Mathaf El Masri was replaced by the Grand Egyptian Museum four years ago," she told him excitedly as they walked in to the colossal structure containing the latest collection of antiquities. Her words were lost as awe filled her chest with a prickling warmth when she looked at their surroundings. "Wow," she whispered, taking it all in, still oblivious as to their purpose there.

Klaus smiled at her fondly, his hand automatically finding her lower back as he steered them around the myriad of exhibits, explaining most of the artifacts in far greater detail than the docents. She listened intently to his stories, having learned that the Mikaelson siblings had a way of inserting themselves into what was now known as history. While ancient Egypt was before even their time, it wouldn't have surprised her to hear tell of their notorious meddling even several millennia after the myths originated. They'd been known to have a say when scholars finally began documenting events long handed down orally through the ages.

"Woah," she said when they turned a corner and saw a crowd gathering at the end of a large hall. "What do you think they're waiting to see?" she asked curiously, standing on her tiptoes to try and read the sign outside the closed door. "It has to be something just opening up, right?"

"Ah," he began awkwardly, immediately putting her on high alert. She dropped his hand and turned to him with a sharply raised brow. "I suspect they are here for the same reason that we are here."

"And what reason is that?" she demanded in a no-nonsense tone, her attention now focused solely on his body language as she read him like a book she herself had written. The Original sighed and ran his fingers through his dirty blonde curls as he contemplated his phrasing. Narrowing her eyes, she spun on her heel and marched towards the group of people. He flashed after her and had them disappearing through the nearest exit in the blink of an eye, but not before she'd seen what was written on the plaque in the hall.

"Seriously, Klaus? The Hall of Resurrection?" she growled angrily, shoving him away from her. "Is that why you brought me here? Because you think I can't save them? We have talked about this, damnit!"

"What we have talked about," he said calmly, holding his hands up in surrender as he slowly closed the distance between them, "is the need for you to lower your expectations, sweetheart."

"Don't 'sweetheart' me," she spat, smacking away his hand as he reached for hers. "I am not ready to give up on my daughters!"

He internally bristled at the way she'd hit him but forced himself to set aside his primal instinct to bend her to his will. It hadn't been an easy lesson, not by far, but he'd slowly learned that Caroline couldn't be subdued. At least, not now that she was wearing clothes. "I'm not suggesting we give up on them, but we both know our research has slowed as our leads have dwindled. There aren't a lot of options left to us, Caroline. I know you think a dozen more years is a long time, but I assure you, it is not. I considered a thousand options in the thousand years I spent searching for a solution to my own curse."

"But you did find a solution," she said, desperation leaking into her voice.

"Because I considered every angle. I had a contingency plan. Hell, I had a backup plan for my backup plan. And if I had to do it again? I'd have a backup for that plan as well. When you're dealing with ancient magic created by witches that haven't existed for centuries, you have to get creative. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you, love?" he asked as gently as he could given that he was fighting down the urge to scream at her to stop being so blind. He loved her, but it was hard for him to remember when he'd been as new to the trials of life and death as she. She certainly wasn't as young as she looked, frozen forever in a filler year, but she was still a child in the eyes of time. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and averted her cerulean gaze, but she did let him pull her to him and wrap him arms around her waist. "I know how much you love your girls because I do have one of my own, even though I can't be with her," he said quietly, his heart clenching when he thought of Hope. "I swear to you that I will fight to protect all of them until their last breath or mine," he vowed, tenderly stroking the back of her golden curls. "But in the event that I fail, I need to know, and I need you to know, that all is not lost. Perhaps The Merge will come to pass, but our fates are not written in the stars, my love. Even if we lose, we can still find a way to win. Creatures like us will always find a way. I need you to believe that. I need you to believe me."

"I do believe you," she whispered when she finally found the courage to meet his eyes. The sincerity she found in his immortal gaze made something deep inside her chest ache for their lives to be simpler. No, this was no life for their children. Her lids closed as she imagined what life could be like if they didn't have to battle witches who wouldn't stay buried. He cupped the side of her face in his calloused palm and gently ran his thumb across her cheek to wipe away a tear that had managed to escape. She leaned into his touch and slowly released a long-suffering sigh before eventually opening her eyes. "Come on. Let's go see about this urn," she said reluctantly.

Klaus took her hand and together they wandered through the milieu until they were standing just beyond a large plexiglass case bolted on all sides to the wall and floor. Caroline listened to the professor lecturing the crowds with interest as she wasn't overly familiar with Egyptian mythology.

"Osiris was an ancient god. He ruled as the King of all Egypt, his sister-wife Isis at his side," the young woman explained, her academic voice pleasantly accented. Klaus knew the stories, of course. What he found interesting was a small tattoo on the back of her neck depicting an Egyptian heart-shaped ahnk on a pyramid, a hieroglyph of a winged woman flying overhead. Clearly, she was a woman who loved her work.

"They had two other siblings as well, a sister, Nephthys, and a brother, Set," the professor continued. Pausing to take a breath and sip a bottle of water, she pulled her long, shiny black hair into a ponytail before resuming her lecture. "Set was the life partner of Nephthys, but she was in love with Osiris and gave birth to his child, the canine god Anubis. Set swore to kill the infant, so Nephthys placed him in a basket on the river to keep him safe. As fate would have it, Isis was the one to find him and raise him as her own when she pulled him from the reeds. Set became so engaged that he killed Osiris in retaliation and carved him into pieces before usurping the throne. Chaos reigned supreme as he ruled with an iron fist, the nation constantly on the brink of an apocalypse the people of Egypt feared would end them all. Seeing what their once beloved brother had become, Isis and Nephthys left his kingdom to search for the remains of Osiris, their one and true king."

When her lecture concluded, the crowd politely clapped before dispersing, leaving Klaus and Caroline to examine the mysterious urn in relative privacy. A few people milled around and chatted quietly, but the hybrid tuned them out as he tried to make sense of the sight before him.

"What is it?" the young blonde asked her immortal lover, having noticed his strange expression.

He opened and closed his mouth several times as he considered it. "I've seen a lot of artifacts in my years. Created a few of them, actually," he added proudly, "but something about this just feels... off."

"What do you mean?" she asked, stepping forward to take a closer look.

"Perhaps off isn't exactly it..." he replied, voice trailing off as he gathered his thoughts. "If anything, it feels too familiar, like I've seen it before. Or, I've made something like it before." Turning to her, he cautiously asked, "Do you remember the sun and moon curse?" Her face pinched just enough for him to know that it was better not to let her expound on her memories of their introduction. "Right, yes, of course you remember it. Anyway," he said, quickly redirecting the conversation from certain decline, "Elijah and I fabricated the entire thing, as you know, in order to draw out the necessary ingredients to break my hybrid curse."

"Weirdly popular ugly rock and my childhood BFF," she interjected, glaring at him.

"My moonstone and the doppelgänger, yes," he continued without missing a beat. "As you are aware, we placed references to the curse throughout time and crossed cultural lines in order to authenticate the myth we'd cultivated. As a result, the clues were obviously varied. It was actually quite clever of us, really."

"Congratulations," she said dryly.

Ignoring her, he plowed ahead with his ramblings. "The reason for the variations, as I said, was to authenticate the mythology. This was something we learned to do from travelling to different regions of the world. Myths that are based on fact tend to cross barriers such as time, language, religion, et cetera. Those that are not tend to remain within the culture from which the story originated."

"Get to the point, babe," she interrupted.

He paused to look at her, holding her gaze until she was truly listening before gesturing at the urn and proclaiming, "This is fake."

Mystic Falls – September 2032

After nearly nine months of agonizing with Caroline about what to do about Lizzie's growing darkness, the blood moon was only a few weeks away. Hope held her lover in her arms while she slept, gently stroking her blonde hair with a weathered palm. She'd been training night and day to prepare herself for whatever lay ahead, leaving her hands and feet calloused from frequent romps in the forest in her wolf form. It had been a hellish year dealing with her girlfriend's tantrums. Had it not been for Caroline filling her in about the truth of Lizzie's condition, Hope was sure she'd have left the relationship long ago. There was no way to know for sure if her out of control behaviors could really be attributed to Eledain's possession. It was possible the doctors had been right with their Bipolar I diagnosis. The fact that she hadn't responded to lithium, valproic acid, nor carbamazepine was encouraging to the lone tribrid.

It had been six years since Hope had said goodbye to her father, yet the ache in her chest hadn't subsided. It had become more bearable over time, but not a day went by that she didn't miss him. The more time that passed with them not knowing where he had gone, the deeper regret and guilt took root deep in her heart. His absence had left her with an unyielding ache in her chest where he should have been. She tried to live her life in a way that would make him proud, but over the years, she couldn't help but feel that her mistakes were how she would be remembered. That they were all there was of her. That everything about her had been a mistake.

She hadn't been able to resurrect the man who gave his life for hers.

She hadn't found a way to save the woman she loved.

What would be left of her if she lost them both? She didn't know, but that thought tormented her night after night as insomnia reigned.

As hard as it was for Hope, she knew how much worse it was for Caroline, for while she had Lizzie, her best friend was still alone. First, the immortal teenager had lost her husband when he sacrificed himself to save his brother. Then, she'd lost the love of her life when he'd sacrificed his life to save his daughter. It seemed she always came in second in the overall scheme of things. She and Klaus should have had eternity, but eternity had ended that night in Louisiana when she caught his ashes in that old urn. While time had deepened Hope's remorse, it had strengthened Caroline's resolve to bring Klaus home. She was leaving more and more of the Salvatore School's daily operations to Hope and Alaric as she continued to travel the world searching for answers to both of their problems.

Hope wasn't a little girl anymore. She was 21 and carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. It had been less than a week since she and Lizzie's parents had finally come to an agreement about the binding ritual. When the sun rose, Caroline would go to Bonnie Bennet and ask her to perform the spell that would cut the twin off from her magic entirely. Alaric was still quite close to Elena, but the young mother felt that this was a favor she needed to ask herself.

Bonnie was a mother now, too. She and Jeremy had twins who were nine now. In spite of her best efforts, Caroline hadn't been able to convince the parents to let their girls attend the Salvatore School. After everything they'd gone through, all of her childhood friends wanted normal, human lives. Elena and Damon were mortal again. Bonnie and Jeremy were now alive at the same time. They didn't fit into Caroline's world anymore, especially Matt. He'd met a nice girl from out of town two years ago. They'd fallen in love and moved to London to start a family far, far away from anything and everything supernatural. He hadn't stayed in touch with any of them after he'd left.

Hope sighed as she thought about what her own life would look like in twenty years. She wasn't as old as the rest of her family, but she'd been a Mikaelson long enough to know that life seldom went according to plan. Rebekah and Kol were both on board with bringing Klaus back, although their spouses were less enthused. Marcel had mixed feelings and Davina was still firmly against it. Freya was still heavily influenced by Vincent, but Hope could tell she was softening. Motherhood agreed with her. As time went on, she'd developed a deeper understanding of the family's vow of always and forever. Hope was sure that, in time, she would be with her on the day… if there was a day. She cast one last glance at the waning moon before kissing Lizzie on the forehead and rolling over to spoon her girlfriend as she fell into a restless sleep, her every dream haunted by the gravity of her mistakes.

Caroline took a deep breath as she turned off the ignition in front of Bonnie and Jeremy's house. The younger Gilbert commuted every day to Richmond where he worked as a video game programmer. He made good money, but they weren't rich since Bonnie had taken several years off from her job as a charge nurse in the palliative care wing of the Mystic Falls Hospital. She'd told her old friend once that there was nothing more human that preparing people for death. She felt at home in her career and was glad to go back once the twins started school. She was now the Director of Nursing for her wing and worked an absurd number of hours, as did Elena as a family physician. It was hard to believe they were all pushing forty. Elena had been under a sleeping spell after her time as a vampire. Subsequently, she looked a little younger than she was, as did Bonnie and Jeremy after they'd spent a couple of years dead.

Caroline hadn't aged a day since Katherine had smothered her with a pillow.

Shaking her head to clear away the nostalgia of the life she left behind, she focused on the lives she had to save as she knocked on the front door. She was greeted by Bonnie's daughter, Jenna, named after Elena's aunt that Klaus murdered in cold blood to break his hybrid curse when he'd first come to their sleepy little town. The memory of Alaric's first love was a painful reminder of the danger imposed by the spell she'd come here to ask Bonnie to cast. Before the day was over, she was sure she'd be reminded of all the horrible things the late hybrid had done at least twice. Their intense hatred for the man she loved was the primary reason she'd let them all go on with their lives as humans while she stayed in the world they left behind. She didn't belong to their world anymore. She belonged to Klaus... wherever he was. As hard as it was to get through the day when memories broke her heart all over again, searching for ways to help Lizzie gave her focus. It was in that spirit that she held her head high and greeted the young witch with a smile.

"Hey, Jenna. Is your mom home?" the blonde immortal asked brightly. "She's expecting me."

"MOM!" the young girl screamed. "She's coming," she said with a smile as footsteps echoed off the hardwood stairs. "You can come in if you want."

"Thank you," she said politely as she walked in just as Bonnie reached the first floor. The two women embraced each other with a warm hug that lasted way too long but was over way too fast. They pulled back to survey each other before their miniature hostess led them into the living room. Jenna obediently brought them cups of coffee and cakes that were obviously waiting in the kitchen for the young girl to serve. She left them alone to catch up. Half an hour passed before the blonde teenager pulled the mysterious artifact out of her purse and handed it over.

Bonnie picked up the amulet and turned it over in her hands, her fingertips growing warm the longer she held the enchanted object. "Care, if you're here to ask me for a spell..." her voice trailed off as her friend's face answered before words could. "I haven't done magic in over a decade," she said, her brown hair floating just past her shoulders as she slowly and sadly shook her head back and forth. The look Caroline gave her alone was heartbreaking enough to cause her to sigh in resignation. "What do you need?"

"It's not for me," she explained sadly. "It's for Lizzie." With a sharp exhale, she ran her fingers through her long blonde curls and explained the entire situation to the witch she prayed would come to their rescue once again. If there was one thing that would never change under the bludgeoning of chance, it's that Bonnie would always come through in the eleventh hour. With any luck, this spell would simply stop the clock. Hope's theory was that the binding could effectively prevent The Merge from happening, but Caroline didn't put a lot of faith in what-ifs and unknowns. She needed something to hold on to, something tangible… like the reliability of those with whom she shared her childhood.

"This isn't something Hope can do?" Bonnie asked as she considered the magnitude of her old friend's request.

Caroline shook her head. "The amulet is bound with blood magic. It can only be awakened by-"

"A Bennett witch. Yeah, I'm familiar with the concept," she said bitterly, now understanding why the amulet warmed at her touch. "I hate blood magic. These kinds of things are just going to keep coming up. No matter how hard I try to give them a normal life, my kids are the next generation. Someone will always need our bloodline for something," she said ruefully, handing it back.

"I know," Caroline agreed, melancholy and regret evident in her tone. "This isn't what we wanted for any of our girls."

"Any?" Bonnie asked perceptively, eyebrow raised inquisitively.

"Either," she corrected quickly. "Josie and Lizzie, I mean. This isn't what Alaric and I wanted for them."

The aging witch shook her head doubtfully. "No, you weren't talking about you and Ric, were you?" she asked, her eyes peering deep into the soul of her friend. When Caroline's mouth opened and closed, she finished for her. "You were talking about you and Klaus. You were together before he died."

"I spent his last day with him in New Orleans, yeah," she confirmed, looking away and letting her crystal blue gaze settle on family photos sitting on the mantle. She remembered the day Bonnie and Jeremy had gotten married. Elena had been the maid of honor. She hadn't even been a bridesmaid, having flown back from the Amazon the day before their surprise wedding. She was lucky she'd made it at all, not that her travels were a contributing factor.

"You know that's not what I meant. You were born with your heart on your sleeve, Care. You were in love with him for a lot longer than his last day." It wasn't a question, just the truth. She waited patiently for the other woman to come back from her reverie. When Caroline looked into Bonnie's chocolate brown eyes, she expected to find rage and rejection. Instead, she found something she couldn't quite name. Pity? Judgment? Empathy? She wasn't sure but it was probably a combination of all that and more. That gaze pierced her defenses and sent her walls crumbling down. The blonde wiped away a stray tear and gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head. "I'm sorry for what you lost," she said, her words quiet as she spoke from the heart.

"Are you?" came Caroline's immediate reply, a skeptical edge to her tone.

Bonnie shrugged and blew out a breath from the corner of her mouth that sent a tendril flying out of her face. "Well, I can't say that I'm sorry he's gone," she responded honestly, "but I know what it's like to lose someone you love, and I know what it's like to love someone who has done terrible things. It's hard and it sucks and half the time people just say he had it coming. But you hurting? That I'm sorry for."

"Hard is putting it mildly," the immortal teenager replied darkly, swallowing down a lump in her throat. "Losing Stefan was hard. This is… worse. At least when I think of him, I know that he'd be happy seeing what Damon and Elena have done with his sacrifice. Klaus died to protect Hope and look at what her life has become. She spends her days looking for answers to a problem that can't be solved. Before he…" Her voice trailed off as words failed. No matter how much time passed, his loss still haunted her, an empty space where he belonged a constant ache in her chest. "Well, we didn't always agree on how to handle The Merge."

"What do you mean?" the brunette inquired, resting her head on her hand as she propped herself up with her elbow on the back of the couch.

Caroline sighed, resting her head against the back of the plush cushions. "I've always wanted a solution that keeps it from happening. More than one of his ideas operated on the assumption that we wouldn't be able to stop it. That one of my girls will die. I was looking for ways to keep them alive. He was looking for ways to bring them back from the dead." A heaviness filled Bonnie's chest as she reflected on all the resurrections of which she'd been a part. "Pretty fucking ironic if you ask me."

"I don't follow," she said, tilting her head to the side contemplatively. "How is that ironic? Sounds more realistic to me. I mean, we certainly lost enough people to consider options after death. God, we were stupid," she said ruefully.

The blonde rolled her head to the side to eye her friend up and down, silently deciding if she could trust her, a wave of guilt washing over her when she realized how far apart they really were that she even had to think about it. "Well, it's not like he knew when we dug up a resurrection urn that I'd need it for him."

"Wait a minute," Bonnie interrupted, her voice suddenly harsh. "You mean you would actually bring him back if you could?"

A shiver went down Caroline's spine at the sharp edge to Bonnie's tone. "I know it's impossible," she said as innocently as she could, knowing that her friend probably wasn't fooled. "But can you blame me for hoping?" she asked, meeting her gaze head on. "You guys didn't know him like I did. There was more to him than all the awful things he did. Can you honestly tell me you never wished there was a way to bring back Enzo?"

Enzo St. John. If anyone had changed the way Bonnie saw the world, it was him. He had his moments of villainy, but he had found a way to redeem himself along the way. He was one of them… until Stefan killed him. Dark memories of her long-dead vampire lover danced in the witch's mind's eye. It was with a heavy heart that she sighed and nodded an acknowledgement.

"If it could be done, wouldn't you want to?" the vampire asked, praying she wasn't misjudging the situation.

"No, Caroline, I wouldn't," said the witch, the finality of her words a sharp blade to the blonde's heart. "If there is one thing I have learned about magic, it's that life and death are forces that go beyond the darkest parts of me. Or, they should, anyway. I've done things I shouldn't have. Things I can never take back. We aren't meant to reverse death."

"You and Jeremy both came back from the dead," Caroline pointed out defensively.

"And we shouldn't have," the brunette said emphatically. "We shouldn't have," she repeated, a mournful twang in her throat, the repetition more for herself than the immortal. "Yeah, I'm glad we got another chance, and no, I wouldn't take it back… but would I do it again? No. Look at everything we went through. It's been decades, but not a day goes by that I don't wonder if it was worth everything we had to endure, everything we still do. There's a reason I work with the dying. I know things about life and death that I should not know. That no one should know. Once you know what's out there… once you've really seen it? Tasted it. Touched it. Felt it…" Her voice trailed off, a faraway look in her eyes. "I felt it when I brought down the walls to The Other Side," she said distractedly. After a long moment of silence, she turned back to face her guest. Seeing the befuddle expression on her friend's face, Bonnie clarified, her voice a breath above a whisper. "I felt Peace."

"Oh," the blonde said quietly, unsure what to say at all.

"Yeah. Oh," she replied with a ghostly smile flitting across her features, a smile full of regret. "It makes every day just that much harder. I know everybody thinks we got a free pass, but we didn't. It's a hell of a price to pay, to have to live everyday with the weight of that knowledge bearing down on us. Every time my heart breaks, I know that it didn't have to happen. I know that there is something out there better than this. A place where hearts don't break and tears don't fall. The Other Side is gone. There's nothing stopping us from passing on to a place more beautiful than you could ever hope to dream. As much as it would hurt, if Jeremy died again? I wouldn't tear him away from that. I would live my life in a way that would make him proud, and I would know that one day I'd see him again. You should try to do that, too."

While Caroline knew Bonnie's words were meant to comfort, they did the opposite. Her heart clenched when she thought back to that terrible day at the Abattoir. "I don't know that," she confessed, sniffling and wiping away a tear that was immediately chased by another. "Hope said that, too. That maybe we shouldn't bring him back. At least, not without knowing if that's what he wanted. So," she paused, taking in a deep, steadying breath, "she went to find him."

"What?" the witch asked, shock apparent in her words and on her face.

"Yeah," the blonde confirmed with a nod as she tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "Freya stopped her heart long enough for her to find Hayley and Elijah. They were at Peace… but he wasn't, Bonnie, he wasn't," she choked out, tears streaming as she buried her face in her hands. "Klaus isn't at Peace." That admission was the last thing she managed to share before she collapsed into a fit of gut-wrenching sobs, her body succumbing to the agony that clawed at her day in and day out.

Bonnie leaned forward and took the broken woman into her arms, rubbing her back as she cried for all that she knew and all that she didn't.

It was a long time before Caroline's grief subsided. She gratefully took the tissue her friend offered her and dabbed at her eyes. "You get it right?" she asked hopefully. "Why I can't just leave him there?"

The Bennett witch sighed, her hatred for all things Klaus and her compassion for Caroline warring within her heart and mind. "Then you should start by figuring out where he went," she relented, her stomach churning as doubt and regret filled her as soon as the words left her mouth. It was a tiny concession, and an ambiguous one at that, but with Caroline's obsessive nature, it would probably spin over and over in her mind until she managed to make sense of it.

.

"Easier said than done," she said with a dark laugh that didn't meet her watery blues. "We haven't found him yet… but Hope and I aren't giving up. It's just on the back burner right now." She took a deep breath and collect herself. Turning to face her friend, she continued, "Right now, I have to focus on my daughters. I know it's a lot to ask… but will you please do the spell?"

Bonnie sucked in a deep breath and blew out hard, running her wrinkling fingers through her silky brown hair shot with intermittent grey. "A binding curse is what started a lot of our problems in the first place. Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"Hell no," Caroline admitted as she met Bonnie's eyes, "but it's the price I have to pay."

A/N WHEW! That was an emotional second half for me. They seriously need to figure this shit out. Let me know if you have any guesses!


	13. I Wonder Why

A/N UPDATED FOR KLAROLINE FANFICTION WEEK 2019 DAY SIX: CANON-ISH!

Thank you to the few of you who reviewed. They make my day every time. This story is getting harder and harder to write. Remind me to never write concurrent timelines ever, ever again! I would love to know what you're thinking as we move along. Please let me know in a review! And don't forget to follow me on tumblr at Eliliyah. Asks and anon welcome :)

Chapter Twelve – I Wonder Why

Cairo, Egypt – 2024

Caroline's blue eyes widened as she stared at him incredulously. "Ummmm... what?"

"Oh, now you want me to talk?" he said as a smug smirk curled his upper lip, earning him a narrowing of her eyes. "I trust you are familiar with the Rosetta stone, yes?" he asked, continuing when she nodded. "Then you are aware it was written in three entirely separate languages. Such a thing is to be expected with an artifact that travelled as much as that one did before it was discovered centuries after its completion. This artifact," he explained, nodding towards the urn, "Is also covered in several different sets of hieroglyphs."

"So, wouldn't that just mean it's the real thing?" she asked, somewhat befuddled by his explanation. "I mean, if it's fake, they certainly did a good job making it look a bajillion years old."

The already obnoxious look on his face morphed into a grin so arrogant that it made her want to slap it right off his stubble. "That is exactly what you are supposed to think."

"But you know better," she sassed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Indeed," he confirmed with a self-satisfied rise and fall of his eyebrows. "The myth of Osiris' resurrection dates back several thousand years. Almost nothing was written down in that era at all, and certainly not that many different languages. If such an artifact were to exist, it would have been inscribed by one person, possibly the only literate one among those involved. I'm not an expert in ancient languages, but I can tell you that there are at least four or five different alphabets represented on this urn. If I sat down with it for a long enough period of time, it's likely I could translate enough to get the gist of whatever falsity it describes."

"Damn," she finally conceded, impressed. "We came all this way for nothing," she added with a frown.

"Not necessarily," he countered. "As you pointed out, it does look quiet ancient, and it probably is. The hieroglyphs were definitely added somewhat recently, but the urn itself is not a fake. That begs the question, 'Why?' Who faked it? Why did they fake it? Why here and why now? There's more to the story here and I intend to find out what it is."

"Ok, you got me," she agreed, dropping her arms with a shrug. "What next?"

"I suggest we start with the curator. He would have known immediately that it was a fraud. That means he must be in on whatever is really going on," he explained.

"I think that's him over there talking to Professor Nebethet," she said, cocking her head towards the lovely woman who'd given the lecture. "Hmm. That's interesting," she added, earning her a raised brow from her hybrid. Suddenly, a smile he found adorable spread across her pale face. "They have that same tattoo on the back of their necks," she said happily. "I bet they're married." He rolled his eyes, sure she was right. "Hey!" he said, playfully scolding him. "Matching tats are sweet! And the top of the ahnk is a little heart. You can't tell me that's not super cute."

The bored look he gave her told he clearly could. "I'll be sure to hold my compliments until the compulsion wears off," he snarked, pushing up the sleeves of his olive-drab Henley.

"What?!" she snapped indignantly. "Klaus, no. What have I told you about compelling the locals?"

The hybrid pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly irritated by her interference and moral qualms about mind control. "Caroline, we are vampires. We have gifts that others do not that make us the apex predator. It goes against our nature to fight against using them to our advantage," he said, both of his hands coming to rest on his hips as he rolled his eyes at her.

Trying a different approach, she flashed her eyes at him and slowly licked her bottom lick, her pink tongue closely followed by his rapidly darkening gaze. "I bet I could get him to tell me where it is WITHOUT using compulsion in five minutes or less."

Knowing she was manipulating him, he decided to play along solely to beat her at her own game. "Care to wager on that, love?"

"Maybe..." she said provocatively, eyeing him up and down. "What did you have in mind?"

He raked his eyes over her attractive figure as dark desire filled his chest, settling as an ache in his groin. "I'll give you a chance to talk to him the old-fashioned way first, but if you can't get any answers out of him in five minutes, we do things my way."

"Fine. Fair enough," she agreed. "Terms?"

His upper lip curled into another smirk, his dimples popping out on his stubbled cheeks. "Glad you asked. When I win-"

"I'm really enjoying your use of the word when. It's very confident," she laughed, flashing back to their first real date.

"As I said, when I win, I get to-"

"You get to what?" she cut him off, invading his air space as she tangled her fingers in his wolfs tooth necklace.

Klaus brought her hand up to his mouth and held her gaze as he slowly, sensually, kissed every one of her knuckles. "I get to do whatever I want," he whispered in a sinful growl.

"F-f-fine," she sputtered, reluctantly pulling away to regain her focus. She took a deep steadying breath before responding with her own demands. "But when I win, you have to-"

"Yes?" he interjected, again moving closer to her. He wrapped his arm around her lower back and pulled her to him so that he could whisper in her ear, "Tell me… what is it you want me to do, Caroline?" She had no words when a low rumbled came from the back of his throat. "Hmm?" He very gently nibbled the shell of her ear, his hot breath sending jolts straight between her suddenly damp thighs. "I'll just be right back," he promised when her eyes lost their focus.

"No!" she yelped, pulling away quickly. "No, no, no. Nice try, Niklaus. You will not distract me that easily," she barked, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "My school needs a new athletic field and you are going to buy it for me."

"That's what you want?" he asked, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Really, sweetheart, if you need money, all you have to do is ask and I'll send you a check."

"No, I do not NEED money. I have plenty of satisfied parents happy to donate to the cause," she quipped defensively. "I want it from YOU so that every time we win a game, I can shamelessly text you a pic to remind you that humans can be persuaded to help WITHOUT compelling them," she sassed emphatically.

Ignoring her indignation, he backed her up against the wall beside the urn and let gold flicker across his irises. "And I want you tied to my bed and completely at my mercy while I make you beg for my cock," he said in a gravelly whisper, a finger trailing down her cheek.

"Well, I'm on vervain," she countered, fiercely meeting his eyes head on. "Guess you'll just have to use your powers of persuasion."

"You wound me, love," he teased, landing a gentle hand on her hip. "I'd never compel you to spend the night with me." He pulled her a bit closer when he saw her fake darken in the low light of the museum. Every now and then, she'd get that same faraway look in her sapphire eyes and he'd be grateful he'd promised to stay away from Mystic Falls. Before she could get too lost in her thoughts, he leaned in to lick the shell of her ear and whisper, "Although, we both know you like it when I use my tongue for other purposes."

She'd been trying to resist him since she'd first pulled on her clothes, but as she heard the low rumble in the back of his throat, she hadn't the slightest idea why. Picking up on the crack in her resolve, Klaus monopolized on it and flashed them behind a curtain at the far end of the hall. Her eyes briefly flew open in surprise, but when she felt his hand snake between her legs, they fluttered shut as she gave in to his intoxicating touch, experience telling her he would make good on every sinful taunt. He stifled back a groan as his cock throbbed painfully in his jeans when his index finger gently parted her lips and discovered how wet she was for him already. In an exhibit this well guarded, he knew they didn't have long before they were discovered. He doubted there would be enough time for him to sate his own ache, but he could take care of her if the way she was trying not to moan was any indication of how rapidly she was approaching the edge. He circled his tongue around her lips as he pushed two fingers inside her wet heat, quickly pumping them in and out of her while she clung to his muscular shoulders.

She whimpered and buried her face in his check as he played with her pussy like it was his God given right. He wound his free hand in her curls and pulled her hair tightly as he tilted her chin upwards, kissing her soundly. "Klaus... I'm close... come on...hurry up... someone will hear us..." she panted into his mouth as she rode his fingers, his thumb just shy of granting her relief.

"Best keep quiet then," he chuckled into their kiss. The hybrid's mouth curled up in a smirk as he used his supernaturally enhanced hearing to gauge how long he could keep her on the edge before they were discovered. "And ask me nicely," he growled around her tongue, sharply biting her lower lip as his hand dragged around her ribcage and found her nipple beneath her bra, the fabric of her shirt bunched up at his wrist. Her response was a groan as she swirled her hips to try and gain friction. He tsked at her and pulled his hand from her breast. "You'll never get what you want that way, sweetheart," he teased. He let the back of his nails drag down the bare flesh of her stomach before he pinned her against the wall with a firm hand on her hip, the pad of his thumb ghosting over her clit as he moved in and out far too slowly. "You know what I want to hear."

"There isn't time," she tried to reason with him, breath catching when he hooked his fingers to rub the inside of her walls.

"There's always time. Beg me for it, Caroline. Beg me to make you come," he quietly commanded into her ear before he began kissing and nipping his way down her neck.

"Please," she huffed, her voice barely audible even to him. When his tongue found her pulse point, he dragged the tip of his fang across her artery, a tiny flick of her clit her only reward. "Please, Klaus." Smirking, he nuzzled her neck as he buried his fingers deeper in her pussy. The sound of blood rushing through her veins was deafening, and the vampire in him began to ache for an entirely different kind of release. He felt his claws extend from his nails and had to fight the urge to claim her in the most primal of ways right there in the museum. "Klaus, please make me come..." she gasped, sucking in a deep breath when he gave her just a tiny bit more. "Fuck it. Please, please, please, please make me come... please... I want to come, Klaus... please..." she finally conceded, her pleas obliterating what little restraint he had left. He attacked her clit with furious circles with his thumb until he felt her shatter beneath him. Her pussy clenched around his fingers over and over as he gently pierced her neck with his double fangs, the faint pain doubling her pleasure as she came for him. He suckled her soft skin as he swallowed small sips of her blood while he slowly brought her back down from an orgasm so intense it left her shivering against the hard planes of his chest. His heart was racing just as fast as he laved his tongue over her wounds and kissed his way back to her mouth.

"I love you," he whispered, his lips barely brushing hers as her coppery taste floated between them.

"I love you more," she whispered back, her lips pressing against his in the softest of promises. He couldn't help but smile at the sincerity of her words, even though he doubted the accuracy of them. She was still so young. He knew much more of the world and its sorrows. In a thousand years, no woman had brought him greater solace than the one standing in his arms. She was his light in the dark, the only reason he had to keep going as he wandered the earth alone year after year. His sole comfort came from knowing that one day they would be together like this always and forever. An eternity was waiting for them just as soon as the twins made it past their 22nd birthday. A few more years was nothing to the immortal hybrid.

Klaus hummed happily as he pulled back from their tender kiss and withdrew his fingers, her core immediately grieving his loss. He swiped at the blood on her neck on the way to hold his fingers up to her cherry lips. "Open your mouth," he said with a quiet authority that had her lips parting before he could resume his characteristic smirk. She met his topaz gaze with her sapphire as she slowly sucked up and down. His irises glowed gold when dark veins appeared beneath her eyes, the taste of her own blood mixed in with her arousal. He angled himself behind her and wrapped an arm protectively over her chest before biting into his wrist. "Best take care of that bite before we compel the curator," he said, chuckling when her squeal of protestation died in her throat when his blood hit her tongue, eliciting a small moan.

As tightly as Caroline Forbes clung to her control, she was still a young vampire in the overall scheme of things, and still dined almost exclusively on bags of B positive. As a result, she had none of his restraint when it came to drinking from the vein. She greedily downed gulp after gulp of his hybrid blood, his delicate bite marks healing long before she would have stopped on her own had the curtain not been ripped away by one very angry Egyptian man.

The rage in the curator's eyes was quickly replaced by horror as he watched Caroline drink from Klaus' wrist, vampire features prominently on display as her eyes glowed red and black veins spider webbed across her pale skin.

She pulled away with a gasp but her lover only rolled his eyes. "Well, now we HAVE to compel him," he said with an annoyed groan.

"What? No! You do not get to win by default," she said in an accusatory tone as she pointed an admonishing finger in his direction.

"Of course, I do," he said light heartedly. "Unless you think you can persuade him to forget that you're a blood-sucking demon?" he asked in a cocky tone as a smug grin fell across his lips.

"Ugh! There goes my football field," she said petulantly.

"Don't worry, love. You'll have it yet," he promised as he wiped away a drop of blood from to corner of her lip and fed it to her. "I'll write you a check after I untie you," he teased, his eyes darkening a shade when she sucked his thumb, flicking her tongue across the pad.

The small man held up a shaky finger to point at the immortal blonde, his skin the color of a mocha latte. His eyes were wide as he said in a terrified whisper, "Sekhmet."

"Afraid not, mate," Klaus said as he clapped the man on his quaking shoulder, their playful moment a thing of the past. "Not that I don't personally believe you're a goddess," he added smoothly over his shoulder at the woman now crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him with narrowed eyes. He raked his gaze up and down her perfect curves one last time before sighing and turning back to the curator. As much as it would have pleased him to see her use her vampiric gifts, he knew better than to ask if she wanted to do the honors. Resigned to doing the dirty work, he pulled the man to him by the lapels of his black suit jacket.

Caroline felt a chill crawl down her spine when she saw the way Klaus' pupils dilated as he began his compulsion. "Relax," he commanded, an order she suspected was entirely for her benefit. She had no illusions about what kind of man she was in love with. He would never be the poster child for human compassion, but at least he tried his best when she was around. "There are no monsters here. You have nothing to fear. My... partner... and I," he said, stumbling over his words as he struggled to find the right one. "Have some questions for you. You will answer us honestly and completely. When we leave, you will forget we were ever here and return to your duties as normal. Tell me you understand."

"I understand," he said mechanically in a thick Egyptian accent.

"Good," Klaus said approvingly, releasing the man's lapels. "Tell me why the Urn of Osiris is a decoy."

"Because it is not the Urn of Osiris," he replied obediently. Klaus narrowed his eyes to reinforce his command, prompting the man to continue his explanation. "The real artifact is rumored to be the Urn of Nephthys."

"Rumored?!" Caroline interjected, alarm coloring her exclamation. "You mean you don't have it?"

"Nobody has it," the man confirmed robotically, his eyes glassy under Klaus' mind control. "If it exists, it is said to rest in the heart of the Great Pyramid of Giza. When she was taken by a plague, the Pharoah Khufu ordered the pyramid be built to honor his beloved wife, Mertitytes. It is said that he claimed that his love for her reached the stars and therefore her monument should as well."

"But Khufu had two wives, Mertitytes and Henutsen, and they were both his loves," Caroline cut in, recalling an old history lesson from Alaric back before she died. "They're all entombed in the Great Pyramid."

"That is correct," the curator confirmed mechanically, his eyes never leaving the immortal controlling his mind. "Mertitytes was devoted to the hawk god, Horus. Do you know the legend of Horus, miss?" he asked Caroline timidly as he risked a sideways glance in her direction.

"Yes, of course," she replied, falling into her role as an educator. "Nephthys and Isis spent years searching for Osiris and conspiring to bring him back," she said, paraphrasing Professor Nebethet's lecture. "Eventually, they were able to restore him to life, but he died before his son, Horus, was born to Isis. Together, the sisters raised him in secrecy. They considered him the true heir to the throne. He battled Set for eighty years before finally defeating him. He ascended to the throne and was able to restore Egypt to Maat, or a state of cosmic balance, after more than a century in the interregnum."

"Well done," Klaus complimented, smiling when she preened at his praise. Turning back to the compliant human, he asked, "Osiris was resurrected by Isis, yet you called it the Urn of Nephthys. Why?"

"Nephthys was the best friend of Isis," he explained as though this were answer enough. At his captor's unamused expression, he cleared his throat and continued in the same monotone. "To this day, she is said to represent divine assistance and protective guardianship. She is known as the Useful Goddess, or sometimes the Excellent Goddess. The legends say that she created the Urn to collect the ashes of Osiris. It was her belief that Set would learn of their plan and burn his remains before he could be restored to life. However, Osiris was restored, leaving the Urn empty and unused. Nephthys left it to her own son, Anubis, and it was handed down the line until it reached Khufu. It is said that when the Pharoah learned of his wife's death, he tried to awaken the Urn but was unable to do so as he lacked the key ingredient."

"What was the key ingredient?" she asked eagerly, hungry for knowledge that had never been written.

"No one knows," the curator replied sadly. "When the Urn failed to return his love, Khufu had it hidden. You are correct that the bodies of the Pharoah and his wives are entombed in the Great Pyramid, but what you do not know is that there is a fourth chamber that has never been opened. Khufu had it sealed for all time. That is where many believe the Urn rests to this day."

Klaus crossed his arms over his chest and rubbed his stubbled chin thoughtfully as he considered the man's words. "Alright. I can accept your story as I know you are not capable of lying to me, but there is one thing I still don't understand. Why the decoy? Explain to me why the museum would replicate an artifact that may or may not even exist when there are so many credible discoveries eager to take the spotlight. Why this artifact and why now?"

"The myth of the Urn has been passed down for thousands of years," the dark-skinned Egyptian explained. "There are those that not only believe in its existence, but in the power it is said to wield. The ability to reverse death will always fascinate the masses. In 2017, scientists discovered a large space above the Grand Gallery using muon radiography. Its existence has been confirmed by scientists around the world using nuclear emulsion films, scintillator hodoscopes, and gas detectors. The area is known as the Big Void by scientists. To them, it was a great discovery. But to true believers, it was a confirmation that the secret chamber has always existed, meaning the Urn does as well."

"Then why use a decoy if you know where it is? Why not just go in and get the real thing?" Klaus asked, somewhat skeptical of the man's story.

"As of now, technology does not exist to enter the Big Void," he said with a sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly. "The scientists are done with their research, but ours is just beginning. With this exhibit comes the public's interest. With interest comes funding, and with that comes like-minded individuals ready to help expand operations. We have a lot of work ahead of us if we are ever to recover the real Urn of Nephthys, if it exists."

"Alright, mate, alright. You've done well. I have one last question for you and then you may leave," he said as he looked deeply into the curator's dark brown eyes, both sets of their pupil's dilating as the compulsion grew. "Do you believe, based on all your years as both a believer and an intellectual, that the Urn of Nephthys not only exists, but that it is in the Great Pyramid of Giza?"

"I know it is," he said without hesitation.

The Original inhaled a deep breath and clapped the man on the shoulder. "Thank you," he said sincerely. The curator breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave. "I just need one more thing," Klaus added with a smirk before he bit into the man's neck, his hand covering the man's mouth to muffle his scream.

"Klaus! No! No killing!" Caroline squealed, ripping at her lover's arm.

He pulled away and wiped a drop of blood from his chin. "Oh, relax, love. I was just checking him for vervain. He'll live," he promised as he once again bit into his own wrist before shoving it into the man's face and forcing him to drink. "You're free to go," he told his victim as soon as his wound closed. "When you leave, you will forget that my partner and I were ever here, hmm?" He offered up a charming smile in Caroline's direction when the man nodded mechanically as he rubbed the spot where he'd just been bleeding on his way out the door.

"Spare me the dimples," she snarked at him. "You didn't have to bite him."

He scoffed, looking at her as if she'd gone mad. "With all that talk about true believers? He sounded like that nutter Atticus Shane. Or, have you forgotten the good professor who wanted to raise Silas and destroy the world?"

"No," she sassed, making a face at him. "I remember him in all his homicidal sleaziness, but I think YOU forgot that Shane couldn't be compelled even though he wasn't supernatural and wasn't on vervain."

"Hmm. Good point," he conceded, his lip twitching at Caroline's triumphant smirk. "Probably should have killed him."

"No kidding," she agreed with a snort.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise for a brief moment before he decided to just go with it. With a shrug, he dug the keys out of his pocket and handed them to her. "You go and start the car. I'll just snap his neck and be right out."

"Klaus, no!" she shouted, her cry quickly turning into a scream when she reached for the back of his shirt only to have him flash her right out the door and all the way back to the parking lot.

"I meant we should have killed Shane, not that nutter. We can't just kill everybody," she laughed once she'd regained her equilibrium. "He's just a guy who obviously lost somebody. If we killed everybody who ever wanted to bring someone back, we'd run out of food!"

"Not everybody," he agreed, "just the nutters... and the witches... and anyone else who I can't bend to my will."

"Oh, so that means you'd kill me?" she teased.

"I was referring to compulsion," he said, his eyes darkening as his mind wandered. "I prefer more recreational methods to obtain your submission."

"Careful, oh evil one. It almost sounds like you'd try and manipulate me," she said with a dramatic flash of her sapphire eyes. "You wouldn't do that to your partner, would you?" she asked with a coy smile, emphasizing the word he'd used to describe who she was to him.

To her surprise, Klaus looked almost bashful, his dimples peeking out from behind his rough stubble, his dirty blonde hair made lighter by the sun. "I'm a thousand years old, love. Girlfriend doesn't quite encompass all that I feel for you."

"Yeah, I get that, and I agree... but partner? Are we opening a business?" she asked with an airy laugh.

He pulled her to him, his hands lightly resting on her hips as her arms wound around his neck. He smiled fondly down at her and tucked a stray blonde tendril behind her ear before kissing her lightly on the lips. "Well, I would call you my wife, but-"

"I'm already somebody's wife," she said reflexively.

"I know," he replied gently without missing a beat. He removed one of his hands from her hip to pull out the necklace she wore with her late husband's rings on it. He held them up between them and turned them over in his delicate artist's fingers that still smelled like her arousal. "We had our differences, but Stefan was a good man," he said quietly, his tone melancholy as he reflected on the life and death of his old friend. She reached out to take the rings from him and he let her. "I do believe that he loved you, and I know you loved him, too."

"I still love him," she confessed, tears prickling behind her closed lids. "I will love him forever."

"As you should," he agreed. "He was there for you at a time that I was not, nor could I have been even if you'd wanted me to be. I have never regretted that I was not the man at that altar," he said sincerely. "Please look at me, love." He rubbed his thumb over her cheek and smiled when she finally opened her eyes. "I know you, Caroline Forbes. You have more love inside of you than I could ever hope to receive, some of which will always belong to those who came before. I never claimed to be your only love. I promised to be your last."

She dropped the rings and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him soundly as he held her tightly in his embrace. When she pulled back, he looked back into her eyes and vowed, "And that is a promise I intend to keep."

"You'd better," she replied, a smile spreading across her face as she took his hand in hers when they reached the aisle with their car. "Cuz this time tomorrow, I'm going to have the Urn of Nephthys. If you bail on me, I'll hunt you down and use it to drag you back just so I can kick your ass," she teased, bending her knee behind her to lightly tap the back of his jeans with her foot.

"Such violence," he said in faux judgment, laughing out loud when she slapped him hard on the chest. "Careful," he said in a mock warning tone as he caught her wrist mid-air. "Don't forget that you'll be at my mercy very, very soon," he said, letting his eyes flash and his fangs peek out from behind his smirk.

"Oh, I'm counting on it," she teased playfully, yelping when he smacked her hard on the ass. "But," she said firmly, "not until AFTER I get my urn."

"As you wish," he said amiably as he held open the car door to let her climb in. He returned her easy smile as he got behind the wheel. He could wait a few days if it made her happy. He'd wait an eternity for her smile, an eon for her kiss. They were immortal, after all. They had time.

Mystic Falls – October, 2032

"Everything alright?" Bonnie asked as she cast a sideways glance at Caroline when the blonde groaned at the text she'd just received. Two weeks had passed since the blonde had come to her. She'd spent that time pouring over her family's grimoires to see if the spell was even possible before agreeing to ask Elena for her blood. The magic was complex and would require a lot of mystical energy, but she was confident in her ability to pull it off.

Shaking her head sadly, the vampire sighed. "No. That was Hope. Lizzie got into it with Landon. Magicked him through a wall. He's fine," she said quickly at the alarmed expression on her friend's face. "He's surprisingly durable. Or, maybe not so surprising? I don't know. We still have no idea what he is. God, the things I don't know, Bon… I could write a book," she sighed tiredly. "Or a series." She closed her eyes to collect her thoughts when her phone pinged again.

"Do you need to go?" the witch asked gently as they pulled up in front of the Salvatore's house. She had her answer when the blonde met her eyes, her normally sparkling topaz faded to a dull sky. "It's fine. I can run you back to your car and come back to talk to Elena myself."

Sighing, Caroline unbuckled her seatbelt. "Don't bother. I can flash to your place faster than you can drive me there. Do you think we should wait until I can be here?"

"It's Elena," she said, placing a reassuring hand on the teenager's arm. "We may not be as close as when we were younger, but we're all moms. She's not going to say no to helping Lizzie. Go. I'll call you later."

With a brief nod at the witch, Caroline flashed off to find her daughter. "They say God laughs when you make a plan," she mumbled to herself as she walked up the stone path to the front door.

"Bon Bon," Damon Salvatore greeted her easily, a smirk falling into place when she narrowed her eyes at the nickname.

"Remind me why I saved your ass all those times," she snarked behind a forced glare.

"That was for me," Elena Salvatore interjected, wrapping her arms around the witch in a fierce hug. "He's just lucky I happen to have excellent taste in best friends."

"Speaking of which, where's vampire Barbies?" he asked, both women bristling at the unseemly sobriquet.

"She had to go deal with some emergency with Hope and Lizzie," Bonnie explained as she accepted a glass of bourbon from Elena. The hostess nodded in understanding as they all took a seat in the living room. "That's actually why I'm here," she began, resigned to dragging her friends into the fire. She spent the next half an hour explaining the situation to the Salvatores. She'd been debating for weeks about whether or not to mention Caroline's confession about Klaus and she still hadn't decided. On one hand, resurrection was impossible, especially since no one had any idea where the Original had gone.

On the other, impossibilities had once been the norm in Mystic Falls.

What she knew for sure was that she wasn't going to tell Elena just yet, if at all. One mention of the man who murdered her aunt and her blood would be off the table. Mikaelson or no Mikaelson, Lizzie was innocent in all of this. She hadn't chosen the supernatural world anymore than any of them had. She'd been born into it… and that was something the Bennett witch could relate to.

"I don't like it," Damon said as soon as they'd heard everything about the spell.

Elena clicked her teeth at him. "Babe, it's a vial of blood for a sick kid."

"She's not a kid," he corrected his wife. "She's a powerful witch inhabited by an even more powerful witch strong enough to take out a Mikaelson and stupid enough to fall for one," he said venomously.

"Hope is hardly her father and she didn't exactly stay taken out," Bonnie keenly pointed out. "She wants to stop The Merge as badly as Caroline, not to mention your favorite drinking buddy."

"She's Klaus' daughter. What happens when this all goes to hell and Lizzie dies? How sweet and innocent is she going to be when she shuts it all off?" he spat back.

"Not everybody deals with loss by shutting off the part of them that feels, Damon," Elena added angrily. Holding up a hand to silence him when his face registered his mistake, she resolutely stated, "And that's all the more reason to help keep it from happening. For all we know, no more Eledain, no more Merge." Turning to Bonnie, she firmly said, "I'll do it."

"Elena-"

"Shut it, Damon," the witch whispered to him out of the side of her mouth. He wisely took her advice and didn't try to explain himself any further. "We just need to go over a couple of things."

Suddenly, the trio was interrupted by a loud chime. "Crap," Elena groaned, looking down at her phone. "I have a patient in the ER. Sorry, Bon, but I have to go," she said quickly as she hurriedly pulled on her sneakers. "But you should stay and hang. You can give the details to Damon. He'll fill me in whenever I get back."

"Yeah, no problem," Bonnie said, briefly returning her friend's hug. She smiled at Elena as the doctor headed off to hospital without a backward glance. Once she heard a car pull out of the driveway, she locked eyes with Damon, her tone suddenly grave, "There's something you should know."

"No fucking way, blondie," Damon spat as soon as Caroline walked through the front door of the home he shared with Elena and their two children the night before the full moon. It had taken every bit of restraint in him not to go after her when Bonnie had told him everything a week before. Maybe age had softened him. Maybe not. Maybe he was hoping she wouldn't have the temerity to show up at his door.

"What's your problem?" she asked in surprise. She hadn't expected a long-time-no-see fruit basket, but she'd thought he'd at least be civil.

"Like you don't know," he snarled angrily. She gave him a blank look and shook her head dramatically to indict that she had no idea what he was going on about. "You have the nerve to walk into my house to ask for my wife's blood when all this time you've been trying to bring back the guy who repeatedly tried to murder every single one of us? Get the fuck out and don't even think about coming back!"

As he'd been ranting, he'd been slowly skulking towards her and now had her back pressed against the door. The immortal was quick to flash her vampire features, reminding Damon that he was no longer the apex predator in the room. "I'd be careful if I were you," she warned as she felt her blood rushing in her veins, her fangs itching to sink into his neck. The cure for immortality in his system was the only thing keeping her from tearing him apart limb by limb as her heightened emotions burned her from the inside out.

Damon's glare stayed in place, but the rest of him took a few steps back. "Do you think you can scare me with that vampire crap? You wouldn't bite me in a million years. We both know if you take the cure, you won't get your happily ever after with your precious fuckboy."

"Klaus is dead, you fucking jackass. Do I want to bring him back? Yeah, I do, and if I could, I would, but I can't. I'm not here about him. I'm here about Lizzie, so fuck off," she said, her voice choked with emotion she refused to show.

"God, you've got a lot of nerve waltzing in here asking for a favor and saying that bastard's name after everything he did. Really, Caroline? To Elena, and to Jenna, and to Bonnie. Hell, how many times did he have to feed you his blood after he made sure you needed it?" She crossed her arms over her chest defensively as she stared him down. She had no words. Everything he'd said was true. Klaus was a monster, but so were they all. As far as she was concerned, the aging human standing in front of her was the villain of her story. "Nothing? Ok, well how about everything he did to Stefan? You remember Stefan, right? My brother? The guy you MARRIED?! Remember him? The one you AREN'T trying to bring back?!"

"Of course I remember him!" she shouted as she pulled out the white gold chain that still held the rings he'd given her. "He left me behind to save your sorry ass even after everything you've done. Don't play the fucking saint, Damon. We're all monsters. Me, Elena, Bonnie, Jeremy, and especially you."

"You're out of your goddamn mind if you think I'm anything next to the guy who slaughtered half of Europe because he was lonely after his family finally found a way to get rid of him," he sneered as he hit her where he knew it would hurt.

"You're worse than Klaus EVER was!" she screamed at him, her eyes flashing red as veins blackened beneath her eyes, her teeth sharpening as they descended from her gums. "And since you seem to have forgotten, let me remind you that Stefan made his peace with Klaus when he went to him for help. Klaus saved him from Rayna Cruz while your pathetic ass was locked up by Bonnie's own murdery boyfriend, Enzo. I even recall that bastard hybrid, as you so eloquently put it, coughing up a vial of his own blood just in case Tyler bit you when Enzo unleashed him on you. Remember Tyler? The ex of mine you killed personally?"

"I remember when Klaus killed his MOTHER!" he shouted back, face reddening as his hands curled into fists.

"And how many mothers did your girlfriend Sybil kill AND EAT over the millennia?" she pointed out, growling deep in the back of her throat as she took a step towards him. "Pretty sure her body count tops all of ours combined."

Fury flashed across the aging human's face, his face twisting into something vile. "That was different. I was under her control. You fucked that hybrid bastard because you wanted to. Nobody ever took away your free will-"

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO ME ABOUT FREE WILL!" she bellowed, shocking him into stunned silence when her vampire features took over her face, her eyes glowing red when she easily picked him up by the throat and tossed him across the room. He hit hard against the wall and slid to the ground; the air knocked out of his lungs as Caroline towered over him while he cowered against the baseboard. "Get up," she ground out between clenched teeth. When he didn't scramble to obey, she wound her fingers in his shaggy brown hair, now shot with grey, and dragged him up to face her. She forced her claws to recede and fangs to shrink as she held him up by his collar.

"Caroline, you don't want to do this," he said with a pleading edge to his broken voice as fear engulfed him.

"Oh, but I do," she said quietly, her soft tone a stark contrast to the terror thrumming through his veins. She knew that terror. Part of her was glad he finally knew what it felt like all those years ago. "I have sat idly by for decades now and watched as you've convinced everyone in this one-horse town that you've been redeemed, but we both know better. Elena and Bonnie chose to forget what you did to me when I was a human. I will NEVER forget. You used me, Damon. You hurt me. Hit me. BIT me. You fed on me like I was an all-you-can-drink buffet on legs. And the worst of all?"

"Don't go there," he warned, shaking his head against the wall as she pinned him in place, his feet dangling just above the floor.

"I haven't gone there since the day after I turned, but I'm going there now, you worthless dirt. You RAPED me, Damon Salvatore," she said with a ferocity that chilled him to the bone. "When I was a CHILD, you compelled me to be your sex toy and then everyone just FORGOT ABOUT IT! I let them forget for the sake of their happiness because I always put myself second. I have been second to everyone in this town my entire life, your brother included. You know who ALWAYS put me first when he was alive? Klaus Mikaelson. He loved me more than you will ever be capable of loving anyone in this life, and he's only gone because he did what you didn't do for Stefan. It should have been you that took out Katherine. You who died. Stefan was more of a man in death than you will ever be in life, and I will never forget who he was to me. We would still be together if he hadn't saved your sorry ass. I lost my husband for you the same way that I lost Klaus for Hope. He gave his life for someone he loved, his daughter. He gave everything for her, as a parent should. I'm someone's parent, too. This isn't about you, or me, or Elena, or Klaus. This is about my daughter, Lizzie. I need Elena's blood to pull this off, and you will not stand in my way. If you say so much as one word to deter her from helping me, I will lead Rebekah straight to your door."

"Bonnie is strong enough to stop her," he choked out, wincing when his head hit the wall again.

"Hope is stronger than every Bennet who ever lived, and it's her girlfriend's life on the line. Klaus always said she was the very best of him, but don't ever doubt that she is still a Mikaelson, and Mikaelsons stand together, always and forever. Fight me on this and I will have Freya and Davina Mikaelson here by day's end," she swore, the truth of her words bleeding doubt into his defiant glare. "And with them I will bring Rebekah and Kol Mikaelson, and they can battle it out as to who gets to be the one to kill you."

"Elena will never forgive you."

"Elena will never remember."

A sick smile reminiscent of her lost love's spread across her face as his confidence finally gave out. "Yeah, Damon. Two can play that game. Well," she added with a smirk, "I guess only I can play now. You may be on vervain today, but I know she had to go off of it for the spell. I can knock you out, lock you up, wait until it leaves your system and compel both of you to forget you ever met. If I do her today, she won't even know to look for you. You may have made her remember you once, but if you don't know her, either? Good fucking luck figuring out what you're missing in what little time you have left," she snarled with a dark laugh. "Or better yet, I can compel her to believe you cheated on her. Hell, I can tell her you've been cheating on her with Bonnie since you were in that Gemini prison world and she'll believe me and hate both of you." Damon opened his mouth but before he could speak, she banged his head against the wall so hard that stars swam in his vision. "I think you've said enough for one night. Here's what's gonna happen: Elena is going to come home any minute with a vial of her vervain-free blood. You're going to stand there and smile and let me take it. When I leave, you're going to keep your goddamn mouth shut or I will reign down hell on you and everyone you've ever met. I'll have you begging for death, but I won't grant you even that small mercy. No, I'll wait until Klaus comes back, because Hope and I WILL bring him back, and then I'll tell him every sick thing you ever did to me. You think the picture I just painted is bad? Just imagine what will happen when the real artist gets his hands on you."

"You wouldn't," he began, but she cut him off.

"I would, Damon. I would," she said firmly, ending the conversation. She heard a car pull up in the driveway and finally released what was left of the man pinned against the wall. She put on her best Miss Mystic smile and dusted herself off just in time to greet her oldest friend.

"Caroline, hi!" the brunette smiled when she opened the door, her two children bumbling in behind her. "Stefanie, Jonah, you remember Caroline, right?" Stefanie just rolled her eyes on the way to her upstairs bedroom. "Teenagers," she said with a sheepish grin. Their son was more like his mother and greeted her politely with a handshake. Elena ruffled his hair as he left to go set the table, his arms heavily laden with bags of Chinese food from the take-out place by the hospital. "I'm sorry I missed you last week. I'd have called, but work's been crazy," she said apologetically. "General Tso chicken is still your favorite, right?" she asked the blonde forever teenager as she leaned in to let her husband kiss her on the cheek.

"Actually, I can't stay," she said apologetically. "I'm sorry, but I have to get back to Lizzie. I just stopped by to get the blood." She stared Damon down, daring him to say anything, but he held his tongue for the first time in his many lives.

"Oh, bummer," the married mother replied. She reached into her purse and pulled out a glass tube filled with the key to binding Lizzie. Caroline gratefully took it from her and tucked it safely in the front pocket of her jeans. "I thought we'd have a chance to catch up. It's been a while."

"Yeah, yeah I know it has," she replied, looking away as she ran a hand through her messy blonde curls. "I've just been busy, you know, with the school and all this stuff with The Merge, but I appreciate the blood. It means a lot."

"Yeah, of course. The best thing that ever happened to us was getting away from everything supernatural. Binding her is a good move. I just hope it all works out. It'd be nice if she could have a normal life." Elena's eyes widened when she saw the frown on her old friend's face. "Not that there's anything wrong with being supernatural," she quickly corrected herself. "It's just, you know-"

"I know," Caroline finished for her. And there it was. The reason they had all grown apart. Tense silence filled the room as they all avoided making eye contact. "Well, I'm gonna go, but thanks," she said, patting the vial in her jeans, "for this. It was good to see you, Elena. You look good."

The doctor stepped away from her husband to give the vampire a hug. "Anytime." Pulling back, she surveyed the other woman. "And you look…" she said, her voice trailing off awkwardly. Caroline looked the same. She would always look the same. The women smiled awkwardly at each other before the blonde nodded and closed the door behind her. "Foot meets mouth," she said regretfully to her husband once they were alone. "You ok?" she asked inquisitively when he didn't comment.

Shaking his head to return himself to the present, Damon forced a smile and nodded at his wife. "Yeah, all good. I'm not really hungry either, though. I'm gonna head to the Grille for a bit."

"Ok," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "Meeting up with Ric?"

A malicious smirk fell into place at her words. "Great idea, babe. I'll give him a call on the ride over. Love you," he said, kissing her.

"Love you, too," Elena said happily as she returned her husband's kiss.

Well, that was fun to write! What did you guys think of the confrontation? Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought!


	14. We All Try

A/N Whew! It's been a long time; I know. This story has really been kicking my ass. This chapter has the heaviest action scene thus far. It was a bear to put on paper and I'm super anxious about it. I'd really love to hear your thoughts. Thank you so much to those of you following and _especially_ to those of you reviewing. My motivation really gets a jumpstart when I start getting anons telling me to update. I also want to thank everybody who voted for me in the 2019 KC Awards. I won for Best Smut Author and my mafia saga _Heart Across the Ocean_ won for Best Human AU Multichap! Follow me on tumblr at Eliliyah for sneak peeks. Drabble requests also accepted. See my profile on here for details. On with the show!

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen – We All Try**

_Giza, Egypt – 2024_

"Ok, I know we're only half an hour from Cairo, but this is, like, a different planet," Caroline exclaimed happily as she and Klaus drove through the desert of Giza. "I bet it's the same as it was a bajillion years ago." The hybrid put their rented Jeep Wrangler in park when they reached the parking area and lightly slapped her on the ass, making her yelp. "Hey! What was that for?" She'd spent half the ride standing on the seat letting the sand and sun hit her face.

"You've got a great ass and I like those tiny little shorts," he replied with a shrug. "Of course, I liked them better this morning when they were folded nicely in the suitcase," he added with a grumble.

The eternal teenager fell on top of him with an airy laugh when he grabbed her ankle, pecking him on the lips. "You liked them there because I woke up naked."

A feral gleam lit his topaz eyes as he recalled their late night of drinking and debauchery, heavy emphasis on the latter. "As you should always wake up when I'm there to greet you," he teased, nipping her lower lip with his human teeth.

"And when you aren't?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Oh, Eskimo suit," he replied without missing a beat. "Covered head to toe in five layers, maybe six. Can't have you catching cold without me there to keep you warm, love. I'm thinking solely of your health, of course."

The giddy blonde giggled when he attacked her neck with kisses and nips, tickling her with his gruff stubble. "Babe, I'm immortal. The only thing that can get me sick is a werewolf bite."

"Oh," he said, alarmed as he pulled away from her V-neck. "Well, you should _definitely_ keep me close, then. My blood is your only hope for survival!" he teased, clutching her to his chest as though she might float away without him there to hold her down.

Caroline gave in and wrapped her arms around his neck as she straddled him in the Jeep. He wound his fingers in her hair and kissed her deeply. His hand had just traveled up her shirt when they were interrupted by a rather formidable looking Egyptian woman clearing her throat in obvious disapproval of their semipublic display of affection. They looked over at her in unison, his palm still cupping her breast. The bubbly blonde gave the intruder her best Miss Mystic smile as she pushed Klaus' hand away. "Sorry! We're here on our honeymoon," she lied apologetically. The older woman narrowed her eyes at them before moving along.

A twitch curled the hybrid's upper lip when he turned his gaze on his apparent bride. "Honeymoon?" he asked, humor painting his tone.

"Well," she said awkwardly, "at least I didn't call you my _partner_." She laughed melodically at his murderous expression as she bounced off of him and skipped up the sandy stone path to the Great Pyramid.

He was behind her in a flash, his hand warm against the small of her back beneath the soft fabric of her fitted white t-shirt. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"Eh," she shrugged, "eternity is an awfully long time. I might forget... someday." She turned to him, amused at his annoyance, and wiggled her eyebrows. Smiling mischievously, she teased, "Catch me if you can," before flashing past the crowds. His lips curved into a feral grin as his eyes flickered hybrid. He could feel his wolf clawing just beneath the surface. He took off after her, a predator hunting his prey. It took him seconds to catch up with her, but he let her flash off before he could grab her. They both knew she could never outrun him. He had a thousand years of strength and speed on his young paramour. Still, the chase was half the fun. She was the only woman who could bring out his playful side, the one that didn't involve murder and mayhem. She was so laden down with responsibilities that it was rare she let her carefree side show, but he was only too happy to capitalize on it if she was in the mood to play.

Caroline flashed to the top of the pyramid and halted so abruptly that Klaus narrowly avoided crashing into her. Her girlish laughter filled the space between them as she offered him her hand while he glared at her from the ancient bricks. As soon as their palms met, he flashed her beneath his lean body and pinned her arms above her head. His stubble brushed her cheek as he slowly coaxed her mouth open with his tongue. She tasted like strawberries and summer and solace. It would have been easy to get lost in her atop the monument... but they had twins to save. It was with great reluctance that he pried himself off her teenage body. He pulled her up and gave her a rough kiss before they began their descent.

One of the many things Klaus loved about Caroline was her exaggerated reactions to life beyond Mystic Falls. He'd seen the remaining wonders of the world time and again across centuries. Everything she saw was new and she was in awe of every last detail. A small smile highlighted his dimples as he let her babble endlessly about things he'd known for years. It was new to her and her enthusiasm was infectious. She could read the dictionary and command his rapt attention. "Did you hear what I said?" she asked when she caught him staring at her in wonder.

"You said before I had a daughter, I was comparable to Set," he repeated rapidly, frowning. "Rather harsh, in my opinion."

A coy smile spread across her porcelain cheeks. "So, you mean to tell me that if Elijah knocked me up, you wouldn't hunt him down to the ends of the earth?" She laughed out loud as black veins spider webbed down his face and a growl emitted from the back of his throat. "Well, there's my answer," she teased when he fiercely pulled her against his chest, claiming what was rightfully his. "Let go! Breathing is still a thing!" she playfully scolded, smacking his strong arms as they circled her waist.

"Mine," he growled territorially, nipping her neck harshly with his human teeth.

"Yes, yes, I'm all yours," she confirmed with a bright smile, pulling away and taking his hand in hers as they continued their journey into the pyramid. "Besides, I said _before _you became a father. You never let me finish."

"Apologies, sweetheart. Do continue comparing me to ancient villains, by all means," he countered, bowing his head in her direction.

Shaking her head, Caroline paused and gently pressed her lips to his. "You aren't the villain of my story." He kissed her once more with feeling before they resumed their walk. "Now that you have Hope, you're more like Osiris. Still with a dark side and questionable judgment, but you have a soft side, too. You love your daughter-"

"And I love you," he finished for her, squeezing her hand and offering up a tender smile. "I wouldn't be who I am without you, Caroline. I don't know what would have become of me after I left my family had you not finally come to your senses." Mirth danced behind his eyes as he pulled her to him by the button of her shorts and kissed her on the mouth, his finger grazing the soft skin of her lower belly.

"Just when I thought you were being insightful," she laughed, nipping his lower lip as she pulled away. Turning back to the hall, she commented, "You know, if you're Osiris, that makes me Isis, Queen of the Gods."

"Oh, you have always been a queen," he teased as they turned a corner, venturing into the Grand Gallery. "So, if you're Isis in this analogy, and I were to perish, does that mean you'd cry the Nile?" he asked with a smirk that did nothing to hide his bashful insecurity as he eyed her sideways.

Caroline just rolled her eyes at him. He was so transparent sometimes. She often had to remind herself that love and attachment were still new concepts to the immortal hybrid a thousand years her senior. "Babe, if you died, I would cry the _Amazon_."

A genuine smile illuminated his handsome features as he stared at the love of his life. "Well, fortunately for your tear ducts, I happen to be unkillable."

"Save one pesky ubervamp," she reminded him with a mischievous grin.

"Eh," he shrugged, "Hope will be able to take Marcellus soon enough."

The blonde nodded her agreement. "I know she's only twelve, but she's kind of a badass. I still can't believe she froze the entire quarry just to take her friends ice skating in May," she said with a laugh. "She gets that complete disregard for the rules from you, you know. She's so Mikaelson it kills me."

Klaus' throat tightened and he had to force a smile. He had no idea what she was talking about, of course. It happened often that he had to play along and pretend he wasn't completely estranged from his entire family, his only daughter included. "Oh, I'm fairly certain her mother was also quite the juvenile delinquent," he deflected, averting his eyes to peer down the narrowing corridor. They were getting close.

Caroline's strawberry lips formed a small 'O' as she took in the sight of three pink granite monoliths. Near the top of the Grand Gallery, they formed the original door to the King's Chamber. It was long since blocked off but something about it drew Klaus' attention in a way he couldn't explain. She started babbling on again, but he tuned her out when, sure enough, he saw something strange. The hybrid squinted his eyes in the dim light of the pyramid as he focused on a small marking. He pulled out his Galaxy and used the flashlight to take a closer look. He gently placed a finger on her mouth to silence her and nodded at the granite. "Stop talking and tell me what you see," he interrupted her in a bossy tone that would have gotten anybody else lectured into next week about the importance of manners.

Rather than scold him, the forever teenager leaned forward and admonished him only with a glare. She ran her fingertips over the carving at which he'd been staring. It was only a few centimeters and would have been easy to miss if not for their enhanced vision. It was unmistakably an Egyptian heart-shaped ahnk on a pyramid, a hieroglyph of a winged woman flying overhead. "That's Professor Nebethet's tattoo."

Klaus nodded ominously. "And that of the curator," he added grimly. They exchanged a look and he subconsciously took her hand. Tucking his phone into his back pocket, he commented, "I think it's safe to say there's more to that mark than a romantic notion." She nodded her agreement and gulped as a sense of foreboding filled her gut with a heaviness that made her jaw clench. "Come on, sweetheart. The modern entrance is located at the upper end of the south wall."

Together, they made their way through the narrow passage. The younger immortal paused mid-step when her eyes fell on the large red granite sarcophagus of the late pharaoh. She let go of his hand and knelt beside the ancient artifact. She turned to her lover when she again saw the same mark. Already kneeling beside her, he reverently ran his fingertips over the carving. "This wasn't here the last time Kol and I visited." She didn't have to ask how he could be sure when his face spoke volumes. For the first time, she looked around and realized they were no longer surrounded by curious tourists.

"Ancient legends say Khufu was never buried here," she mused aloud, her voice nearly a whisper even though there was no one around to hear. "Klaus," she prodded, placing her hand gently on his muscular forearm as he stared at it as though it held the answer to their prayers. "Klaus," she repeated a bit louder, pulling him from his reverie. When he turned to her, she met his gaze to convey the gravity of her suspicions. "You _did_ say the alleged Urn of Osiris actually _was_ quite old, right?"

Unsure where she was going with this, the hybrid nodded. "Yes," he confirmed slowly. "It was only the markings that were fairly recent, perhaps within the last few centuries."

"And this?" she asked, nodding at the vacant sarcophagus. This time, his confirmation came in the form of a slight tightening of his jaw that would have been imperceptible to anyone but her. Since they'd first met, she'd always been able to see right through him. He both loved and hated it in equal measure. He enjoyed their silent communication, but he had mixed feelings about the utter vulnerability of her penetrating stare. He had secrets to keep, after all. "And the mark on the monolith?"

Another nod, slower this time as he caught on. "These aren't quite as old as the urn, but yes. They're not from the original sculptor."

She inhaled deeply and blew out hard on the exhale. "I think I know what was in that urn."

"Or who," he added grimly. Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine. He stood and roughly pulled her up with him, his palm falling protectively to her lower back. "Do you see that small opening?" he asked, pointing at the west wall. He continued when she nodded. "It's an escape hatch. It leads to a corridor deep under the pyramid, near the entrance to the underground chambers."

"Why are you showing me that?" she whispered, voice shaking as a lump formed in her throat.

Klaus turned to face her, his hand squeezing her hip. "We're immortal," he reminded her as comfortingly as he could, "but you less so than I. Should anything happen, flash out of here as fast as you can and call my siblings. Rebekah's been here several times as well. Had quite the obsession with an adviser to the pharaoh 700 years ago or so, give or take. Start with her." When she stared at him blankly, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end, he added firmly, "Tell me you understand and will do as I say."

Caroline nodded her head, her golden curls bouncing against her shoulders as she reflexively leaned into him. "Yeah, I got it. Call Rebekah." He kissed her forehead before returning his palm to the base of her spine. He stepped forward, but she pulled him back to her by the sleeve of his shirt. "What do you think is in there?" she asked, cocking her head at the yellow caution tape blocking off the entrance to the Big Void.

"Oh, I think the Urn of Nephthys undoubtedly lies ahead," he replied. "I'm just not convinced that's all we'll find." He cast his eyes to her beautiful face and frowned when he saw her worrying her lower lip. He gently pulled it from between her teeth. "We _can_ leave, sweetheart. Say the word and I can have us back to the Jeep in seconds."

"No," she quickly countered, shaking her head vehemently back and forth. "No, I want that urn. I hope like hell it never comes to that, but if Eledain's as bad as I think she is, we're gonna need all the help we can get. You know what Jorlena said. 'When Lizzie and Josie turn 22, death will be the remains of the day.'"

Klaus squeezed her curvy flesh as he recalled their time in the Dolomites. He hadn't brought it up, but those words had fueled his research since the day they'd been spoken. "You're sure?" he asked seriously as he looked into the depths of her sapphire eyes.

"Absolutely," she answered without hesitation. "Like you said, we're immortal. Let's keep moving." Before he could try to change her mind, which she strongly suspected he was about to, she boldly marched forward. A small smile played about his lips as he rushed to catch up with her. She wasn't just beautiful but fierce and strong and full of light… and she was _his_. They carefully took the chipped granite steps higher and higher. The atmosphere around them seemed to change. Caroline felt a familiar sensation crawl across her skin. It was like the passage was suddenly charged with static electricity that could only mean they were in the presence of something otherworldly. It wasn't long before they passed the final sconces lighting their path. They both turned on the flashlights on their phones to light their way. She turned hers up and down as they walked, but he kept his aimed dead ahead.

When they finally reached the entrance to the hidden chamber, Klaus stopped cold and halted her with an outstretched arm. Before she could protest, he tugged her curls to tilt her head upwards. Illuminated in the small light of his Galaxy, there were hieroglyphs carved into the pink granite above. They both examined them for long moments before he broke the silence. "If we look carefully at these markings, they tell a story," he explained in the same way he'd explained the Aymaran prophecy. "The ankh was used to represent both life and death. In ancient Egypt, the concepts were one and the same, as you know. The pyramid is rather obvious given where we are. Look at the symbol above and tell me what you see."

The blonde cocked her head to the side as she stared at the winged figure flying above the pyramid. "Nephthys was frequently represented as a kite."

"Precisely," the hybrid agreed. "Unlike the other markings, these actually _are _ancient. It's likely this may very well be the only original carving."

"So, the curator was right," she said, voice tinged with awed wonder. "This has to be it. The Urn of Nephthys must be in there. Khufu _did_ have it sealed away."

"There's where we disagree." Turning to her, Klaus elaborated, "I don't think the pharaoh ever intended to bring back his wife. I believe you're right about his ashes."

"Khufu wanted to come back himself," she scoffed in disgust, shaking her head. "He probably had his people hunting down that missing ingredient to their deaths." The Original slightly nodded but remained silent, encouraging her to continue. "I'm guessing that didn't sit well with followers of Nephthys, what with all she and Isis sacrificed for Osiris."

"One will live and one will die, while that one's death will bring one life," the hybrid quoted the words from the wall of the cave buried deep in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon.

"Whatever that ingredient is, sacrifice has to be a part of it," she added thoughtfully.

"It does seem to be a theme among wicked witches," he added darkly as he thought about his daughter. He turned away when he saw the pitying look in her crystal blue eyes. "This one," he said as he pointed at a man crouching on the ground, "means hidden. The man with his arms raised behind him means to turn away." He pointed to a carving of a dung beetle. "This one is a scarab. It stands for the recreation of life. This one is a djed," he continued, pointing at a hieroglyph of a pillar. "Also called 'The Backbone of Osiris,' it linked Osiris and Ptah, god of creation, making it a symbol for immortality." He stepped back as he took it all in, mentally putting together the pieces of the ancient puzzle.

"Ok, so we've got the Urn of Nephthys, hidden, turn away, recreation of life and immortality," she wondered aloud while she gazed at the hieroglyphs quizzically. "What's it mean?"

Klaus smiled at her impatience. "It means the ancient Egyptians were bloody brilliant," he said mysteriously.

"Care to let me in on the joke?" she asked, tapping her foot in annoyance.

A smirk slid across the hybrid's stubbled face as he gazed at her smugly. "The humans may have stumbled across this by accident after centuries of exploration, but it was only hidden to them because they're _alive_. Technology hasn't been able to cross the barrier because it's a _magical_ boundary," he explained arrogantly, delighting in her continued confusion. "You can't cross the threshold unless your life has _been_ recreated. In ancient Egypt, that meant if you were _already_ immortal."

Caroline hmphed as understanding dawned. "So, you can't get to the damn thing unless you don't need it."

The Original smiled at her proudly and nodded his approval. "Assuring it would never be used for selfish purposes," he continued. "I said they're bloody brilliant because this was several thousand years before my mother created the immortality curse. This predates even Silas."

"Nephthys' followers set it up so only one of their gods would ever be able to awaken the urn. They may not have had vampires, but they must've had witches back then, right?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Exactly," he concurred with a smirk.

"God, that's clever," she commented, impressed. "No wonder so much of their culture has survived. That _is_ brilliant."

"It is," he agreed. "Unfortunately for the gods, it would seem you and I meet the criteria to enter," he said happily, the atmosphere around them seeming to lighten as their mutual excitement built. "Shall we?" He grinned at her, dimples on display, as he held out his arm. She returned his smile and hooked hers around his elbow.

Together, they entered the Big Void. As soon as they crossed the barrier, sconces illuminated the massive chamber with mystical flames that danced in the air, casting the room in shadow. Klaus tightened his grip on her arm as they looked around. He held a finger to her lips as he focused on the sounds surrounding them. He closed his eyes and slowed the beating of his heart to listen carefully for anything at all. He could hear the faint thumping of human hearts far off in the distance, but that came as no surprise. They may have been hidden from the living, but they were hardly alone in the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Caroline waited patiently as her lover assessed the danger. She hadn't heard anything, but she was all too familiar with his paranoia. There was no point rushing the Original. She looked around and felt her pulse quicken when her eyes fell on a pedestal in the middle of the chamber. At the center of the intricately carved red granite structure sat the Urn of Nephthys. When Klaus was finally satisfied that they were alone, he opened his eyes to see her practically dancing in place with the widest smile he'd seen on her porcelain visage since they'd met at the airport in Cairo.

With a matching expression, he released her arm and gestured at the center of the room. "There you go, sweetheart," he cooed in his velvety accent. "Have at it."

The blonde clapped her hands together excitedly as she skipped to the pedestal. Smiling back at him as he flashed to her side in less than a second, she tentatively reached out to touch the ancient artifact. When nothing happened, she cautiously traced the intricate carvings before carefully picking it up with both hands. "Wow," she mouthed as she turned it around and around in the firelight. "It's warm," she observed as her palms slightly tingled. "This isn't a fake, Klaus," she said confidently as energy coursed through her veins. "This is the real thing. The Urn of Nephthys."

The hybrid smiled at her gently and kissed her cheek, his stubble tickling her when she turned to the side to peck him on his soft lips. "I told you I would get it for you, sweetheart."

"You?" she sassed playfully as they made their way back to the entrance. "Pretty sure I helped," the bright blonde teased, bumping her hip against his as she cradled their treasure in her arms.

Suddenly, a dark figure clouded the exit as an accented voice interrupted their moment. "Then I suppose we have both of you to thank," came the sinister tone of Professor Nebethet. The undead couple turned their heads to the intruder to find her flanked on all sides by a dozen or more men and women of varying ages and nationalities, the curator directly to her right. "Now, hand it over and we can all walk out of here."

Caroline's eyes fell to the many crossbows pointed directly at her heart and gulped. She was filled with an eerie sense of déjà vu as she though back to their confrontation with the Gemini rejects in the Dolomites. She quickly cast her gaze to Klaus and saw that his hybrid features were already prominently on display, his eyes glowing as a predatory growl emitted from the back of his throat. She clutched their precious discovery tightly to her chest as only one thought filled her mind. _Here we go again._

* * *

_Mystic Falls, October 17, 2032_

It was the day before the blood moon and Caroline was on edge. When the lunar eclipse passed, her daughter would be cut off from her witch heritage. It made her sick thinking that it had come to this. She missed Klaus every day, but some were harder than others. He'd been with her as she traveled the world looking for answers that hadn't come. This had been his idea. A last resort to keep the twins alive. There was still time before they turned twenty-two, but each passing year made it harder to deny that one of her children would die. She thought back to their time in Egypt when they'd found the Urn of Nephthys. He'd meant it for one of the girls, but for years, she'd been trying to find a way to use it for him. Her biggest fear was that she'd have to choose between her daughter and her lover. If it came to that, she knew what she would do. What Klaus would want her to do. He'd chosen Hope. She would have to do the same for one of her girls. That was what parents did. They put their children first. If the hybrid had taught her anything, it was that family was always and forever.

They were supposed to have been always and forever, too, but they weren't. At least, not yet. She was determined to bring him back, however long it took. As much as it hurt, her priority was to get the girls through The Merge. Resurrecting Klaus would have to wait. They still had no idea what cryptic ingredient the Urn required, nor did they know how to awaken it even if they had the ash of the living. She would think more about it after the blood moon has passed.

The four young women and three young men were in town for a long weekend. With the exception of Hope, they'd be going back the morning following the ritual. They'd gone to the town square for a Founding Family's celebration. The former Miss Mystic Falls had been to enough of those events to last a lifetime. She was sitting in the living room of the Mikaelson mansion when her tumultuous thoughts were interrupted by a car screeching to a halt in the driveway.

"Have you lost your fucking mind, Caroline?!" Alaric Saltzman shouted, his ruddy features twisted by rage as he stormed through the front door.

The young mother was on her feet in an instant. Holding her hands up in surrender, she spoke calmly and slowly as she lied through her shiny white teeth. "Ric, calm down. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Like hell," he bellowed, slamming the door behind him. "When you and Hope got closer after her parents died, I assumed it was because you felt sorry for the poor kid, but this entire time you've been trying to resurrect Klaus fucking Mikaelson."

She'd smelled it the minute he'd banged his way inside, but now that he was screaming in her face, the overwhelming stench of booze was undeniable. "How much have you had to drink tonight? You're not thirty anymore, Ric. You can't keep drinking like-"

"Oh, like what?" he replied defensively, "like I'm a fucking vampire like you?"

"Yeah, like you're a fucking vampire like me," she spat, her hands curling into fists as she fought to keep her temper in check. She was not in the mood for one of his drunken tantrums. She'd moved in with Hope after he'd gone off on her one too many times after the girls graduated. She still owned half the school, but she'd been travelling so much that the tribrid had offered to take over more and more as time went on. It was a fitting career for her as she was a blend of everyone there. Plus, her father had paid for the school to start up and Hope had continued his legacy of philanthropy.

Caroline closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath before slowly blowing it out through her nostrils. "Alaric," she began with his full name, alerting him that he was going too far, "he's dead, ok? Klaus died a long time ago and he's never coming back." She willed it not to be true, but it hurt her heart all the same to say it out loud. When she thought back on the time she _had_ gotten with the man she loved, and looked forward at her immortality without him, the pain was almost more than she could bear. More than she should have to. Than anyone should have to, especially the child he'd left behind at fifteen. As much as that grief was a part of Caroline, it wasn't something that the father of her surrogate children got to see. Even though her daughters were adults, she didn't want them to see how lonely she was. How much her heart ached for one last look. She forced down the lump in her throat and held her head high, mentally preparing herself for battle.

Alaric stalked towards his, his eyes glassy and bloodshot. He and Damon went out drinking often. Both had trouble limiting themselves as humans, but the latter had a loving wife and two kids still at home. Alaric was the lone human in a school of supernaturals. It wasn't hard to understand why he was miserable. The young blonde tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes he went too far. She eyed his tell-tale flask suspiciously and wondered if he would even remember their conversation in the morning. It was stainless steel and covered in fine leather. Damon had gotten it for him when he turned fifty-five. Considering she still looked seventeen, it had made her feel that much better about calling off their sham of a wedding. It was a reminder that it was ok to put herself first every now and then. The girls were grown. He couldn't take them away, nor could he threaten her with them, either. They loved their father, but he'd been pushing them away for years, Lizzie more so now that she was tied to an immortal partner. He'd been rather vocal to his co-parent about his concerns that Hope was still a Mikaelson and would turn their daughter for her own selfish reasons. Caroline had vehemently defended her best friend on multiple occasions, but it wasn't a secret that he didn't approve of their relationship.

He didn't approve of Caroline anymore, either, apparently. She'd been so busy mentally preparing her argument that she didn't notice the crossbow in his hand until a wooden stake was firmly embedded in her stomach, pinning her to the wall. She ripped it out with a scream and threw it at his head, the coppery scent of her blood filling the air. "What the FUCK, Ric!" she shouted as she ripped away the weapon and slapped him hard across the face. To her disgust, the alcoholic simply laughed as a dribble of bloody saliva dripped down his chin. He pulled out his flask and took another swig of bourbon. "Oh, that's just great," she scoffed in disgust, throwing up her hands as her wound closed. "When it doubt, have another drink."

As if on cue, Alaric took a final sip before tossing his empty flask on the couch. Rounding on her, he drunkenly spat, "When it doubt, fuck another mass murderer."

"You're a pig. Get the fuck out of my house," she barked. When he didn't move, she grabbed him by the back of his leather jacket and dragged him to the doorway.

The father of the twins shrugged her off, which she let him. She could have thrown him out, but she was trying to be the bigger person. Although with the weight Alaric had put on in recent years, that was a challenge. "You mean Hope's house?" he corrected venomously. "Oh, wait, you two are pals now that you've run through all the undead sugar daddies in town. Tell me, how long were you giving it up before he did us all a favor and offed himself?"

Caroline scoffed and shook her head, repulsed by the man swaying slightly on his feet before her. She pushed the door open and pointed outside, but he didn't take the hint. He just stood there, staring blankly as he waited for an answer. "My private life is none of your business, Ric. Go home. Sleep it off. You won't even remember anything I say, anyway."

She'd meant to placate him, but her comment only seemed to enrage him further. "Know what I remember but wish I didn't?" he asked rhetorically as he fumbled around for something in his pocket. No doubt looking for his favorite flask as it lay empty in the next room. "I remember when that bastard murdered my girlfriend. Remember Jenna? Elena's aunt? I know you remember Elena since you hit her up for some blood. Oh, that's right, you only talk to people when you need them for something!"

"That's bullshit and you know it," she spat back, her hands curling into fists as she fought to refrain from pummeling him.

"Yeah? Then how is it that Damon said you hadn't talked to Elena in over a year before all this?"

"Of course, you heard it from Damon," she replied tiredly. "My number one fan." She pinched the bridge of her nose, vividly recalling the feeling of a human migraine.

"The number one vamp you spread your legs for, you mean."

"Would you just stop talking? Seriously! What the fuck happened to you?" Caroline asked, shaking her head. "You weren't always like this."

"And you weren't always a bloodsucking whore. People change, although I guess you're not a person anymore. You're a monster just like the rest of them."

"Like you were a monster?" she shot back defensively. "You've really got a lot of nerve coming up in here passing judgment on me when you're the one who killed _my dad_. Remember him? Because I sure as hell do. You murdered him decades ago, but he is _still_ twice the father you'll ever be!" she shouted, her voice rising with her temper.

"That's not how you felt when that sick fuck was torturing you. God, Liz should have let him kill you," he snarled, slurring his words. "The world would be better off without anyone and everyone who remembers that hybrid monster."

That was it. She'd had enough. Caroline shoved him backwards and sent him sprawling. He crashed into a table and sent an antique lamp crashing to the floor where it shattered against the marble tile. "I'm not a scared little girl anymore. I don't give a damn what you think about my relationship with Klaus."

"Oh, so it _was _a relationship? Not just an undead booty call, then?" he spat as he got to his feet. He picked up a piece of the broken lamp and threw it at her, but she easily dodged it when she flashed back to the living room.

She rounded on him when he followed her. "Yeah, ok? Yeah. It was a relationship, and you wanna know how long? Seven years, Ric. Seven fucking years and you were too goddamn drunk to notice that I was actually _happy_." He threw a book at her, but his aim was so far off that it fell short and landed pathetically by her feet. "You were sitting here on your high horse partying it up with Damon while Klaus was out there hunting down leads to save our kids!" The next thing he threw was a vase. Again, she dodged it effortlessly. When he picked up a copy of _Grapes of Wrath_, she pushed him up against the shelf and growled in his face, "You should be _thanking _me for involving him. We wouldn't know even _half_ of what we do about The Merge if it weren't for him doing what you were too drunk to even _start_!"

Caroline thought she had the upper hand against her co-parent, but she hadn't counted on whatever he'd been searching for in his pocket being anything other than more booze. She gasped when a syringe penetrated her neck. Her eyes went wide at his triumphant expression. "Guess I'm not too drunk to remember my emergency vervain." The blonde felt the poison enter her bloodstream and his smug smile swan in her clouded vision. "Never know when one of you vamps might need to be put down." She grabbed at the syringe and pulled it out, but he'd already emptied it into her neck. She swayed back and forth on her feet, falling against the desk to keep from toppling over. She felt her stomach turn when he picked up the bloody stake he'd already used to impale her once. He held the wood high over her chest as he spat, "Say goodbye, Caroline."

She closed her eyes and waited for the pain. It didn't come. Instead, she heard sweet relief in the form of Penelope Park coming to her defense. "The only one saying goodbye here is you," the brunette witch sassed with her characteristic smirk. If there was anyone who disliked Alaric more than Caroline, it was Penelope.

The vampire shook her head to clear her muddied vision and opened her eyes just in time to see Alaric crashing into the bookshelf, gasping for air, the stake falling useless at his feet. He looked between the two women and knew it was over. With a feral snarl, he turned to the blonde and vowed, "I swear to God, if you bring that bastard back, I won't stop until I send him back to whatever hell he crawls out of!" The words had barely left his mouth before he was on the ground.

Caroline looked around, surveying the damage. A few books had been knocked off the shelves. A broken lamp shattered in the night. Papers strewn about covered in magical languages. One unconscious asshole, his chest rising and falling just enough to indicate he wasn't a _dead _asshole. The blonde had mixed feelings about that, but emotional dissection would have to wait. She got up shakily and turned to her savior. "What did you do to him?" she asked softly.

Penelope quickly ran to her friend's side and helped her steady herself on her feet. With an arm around her shoulders, the witch helped her to the couch. She poured them both a drink before sitting down to answer. "He's not dead, if that's what you're worried about," she said before downing her shot. "I put him in a Chambre de Chasse."

The forever teenager looked to Alaric and then back to Penelope. "How- how did you do that?" she asked, rubbing her temples to clear away the vervain migraine.

The pretty brunette shrugged. "It's representational magic. I was coming to drag you to the afterparty when I heard screaming. One look at that idiot's truck had me filling a bowl with a blood bag and running to the rescue. You're welcome, by the way," she sassed her former headmistress.

"What did you use for the totem?" the educator asked, somewhat confused as she looked around at the damage done to her living room. It wasn't beyond repair and it wasn't the first time. Lizzie's temper had been hell on furniture in recent years. She'd never liked that lamp, anyway. At least redecorating would give her something to do the next day while she waited for the moon to reach its apex.

Penelope smirked and held out her hand. "Motus," she muttered. Alaric's flask flew across the room and she caught it easily. "Trying telling an alcoholic that his stash of booze represents him best," she commented without humor as she glared at the unconscious hypocrite with disdain. "Figured I'd pick the one thing he'd never guess. He's not getting out unless I let him."

Caroline downed her shot of bourbon and nodded. "Impressive."

The witch looked at her thoughtfully with her chocolate almond eyes, cocking her head to the side. "You know, just because I'm not a Bennet, or a Mikaelson, or a Parker, or a Claire doesn't mean I'm not strong."

The teenager looked at her in surprise. "No, honey, I've never thought that-"

"Oh, I know," the brunette replied, holding up her palm in a stopping gesture. "No one's ever said it. It used to piss me off when I was a kid," she continued with a dark laugh as she thought back on a younger version of herself. "Not having everybody bow down to my power. It sounds so stupid in retrospect, but I guess hindsight is 20/20. For who I am now, I'm happy to let other people deal with the supernatural drama. I mean, I love my friends, but I see what Hope has to deal with every day with Lizzie. No offense, I mean, I know she's your kid and all, but she's a pain in the ass." She paused to see if Caroline was going to yell at her. When she didn't, the witch continued. "But it sounds like you're already dealing with that, right?" she asked, an accusing edge to her tone. The vampire's eyes widened, but Penelope cut her off before she had to hear another lie. "Well, Care, since we've established that I can kick ass if I have to, I'm going to ask you this one time. What in the hell is The Merge and what does it have to do with my girlfriend?"

* * *

Hope felt her stomach turn when she looked at her phone and saw a two-word text from Caroline: "Penelope knows."

It was the morning of October the 18th and the blood moon was upon them. As a wolf, she adored the full moon. As she thought about it now, it sickened her. The sun was already half risen. In less than twelve hours, Lizzie would be rendered mortal. Human. Not a witch. Who would she be without her magic? More devastating than that question was the one that came before. The one she'd been asking since Caroline first proposed this crazy idea in the first place. Who would she be to that human after all was said and done?

Would Lizzie still love her tomorrow?

Hope didn't know. Maybe she didn't want to. Maybe it didn't matter. Whether she awoke the next morning as Lizzie's girlfriend or alone, the binding had to be done. Personal consequences be damned. She knew it and Caroline knew it. One day, they prayed Lizzie would understand.

Understand what, exactly? That they'd lied to her? Kept the truth hidden from both her and Josie? Hope didn't even want to know what the latter was feeling right now. Caroline's text had been dated several hours prior. By now, Penelope would have told her girlfriend everything. She couldn't blame her, not really. If anything, she counted herself lucky that neither brunette had barged in with the awful truth.

Luck. What a ridiculous concept. If fate was a game, the Mikaelsons had lost before they'd begun to play. Klaus was dead. Elijah, too, along with Finn and Henrik. Dahlia, Mikael, Esther. Dead. The same held true for the Parker family. Lizzie's Uncle Kai had killed the twin's biological mother's entire family before the girls were even born. Caroline had been a conveniently located incubator, nothing more. Alaric had been very clear about that in recent years. It was with a grim sense of satisfaction that Caroline's next text revealed her old teacher had been dealt with. A Chambre de Chasse. Well done, Penelope. Hope couldn't have planned it better herself... and she had tried. Alaric had been a problem for a long time. If there was any gratitude to be found on this horrible day, that was it.

And what a horrible day it was.

Lizzie had woken up in a good mood for a change. If anything, seeing her girlfriend happy made it that much harder for Hope to maintain a façade of normality on what could be their last day to just _be_. After the ritual, nothing would ever be the same again. There would be no more mornings of casually levitating cups of Earl Grey to her girlfriend across the massive Mikaelson kitchen as Hope watched her with that dopey smile she loved so deeply. There would be no more lazy afternoons of watching flowers bloom from nothing. There would be no more candles magically lit over dinners in the forest as the moon rose high overhead.

It was time.

Hope was a tribrid: part witch, part wolf, part vampire, all monster for what she was about to do. She'd heard Bonnie's footsteps long before she smelled the burning herbs or heard the faint chanting as the Bennet witch finally emerged in the clearing where Hope held her girlfriend as they danced beneath the stars to music heard by no one. The familiar scent of Caroline's perfume had filled her nostrils before the pounding of her best friend's heartbeat began to pulse louder and louder as magic filled the air.

The firstborn Mikaelson of her generation thought she knew what it was to suffer when she'd watched her father go to his death. As Lizzie's body contorted in agony, suffering took on a new meaning entirely. The cursed siphon was lifted from her girlfriend's arms as her magic was torn away. Breath by breath, visceral screams filled the air. Hope was not prepared for the utter misery and desperate helplessness born from watching Eledain fight for her final connection to the world. The tribrid's face twisted in horror as Lizzie's eyes burned with the ghostly green glow of a spirit who refused to stay dead. It chilled her to the bone as she remembered with haunting clarity the way her father's eyes had shone the morning before he took his own life to spare hers. She'd brought him back from the brink of madness and still Klaus had gone.

Lizzie Saltzman wasn't going fucking anywhere. Not if Hope Mikaelson could help it. Caroline fell to the ground as ancient magic reduced her to a screaming mass of pain. Lizzie faced her mother but saw only through the eyes of the enemy.

Eledain had gained control at last.

A guttural roar erupted from Hope's chest as the beast within took hold of the immortal tribrid. Half woman, half wolf, she flew to Bonnie's side in one swift leap. Back to her human form just as quickly, she took hold of the older witch's hand and shared her power to battle the purest evil the world had ever known. Beyond the madness of Dahlia, emptier than Inadu's heart, colder than death itself was the force that raged within the Gemini twin. Raw power drove the witches to their knees as Bonnie screamed out the incantation again and again, the amulet shaking and quaking midair as it slowly moved towards the monster emergent. The magical language was lost in the night when Hope howled at the moon as she fought for the woman she loved.

It wasn't enough. The almighty Bonnie Bennet wasn't strong enough to force Eledain back from whence she came. Only love can conquer death and Hope loved Caroline Forbes. With a final eruption from deep within, Hope sent a branch flying at Lizzie's outstretched palm as she tore apart her surrogate mother. It wasn't much, but it was the distraction the vampire needed to flash away from the horror unfolding beneath the blood moon.

If this was destiny, it was time to rewrite the stars. The Mikaelsons and the Forbes did not go gentle into that good night. They would rage and they would fight. They would not falter. They would not fail. They would not lose their Lizzie. Caroline returned and with her came an army of those who would always stand at their side. It was no surprise that Penelope and Josie had been lying in wait, nor was it a shock that MG, Rafael and Landon weren't far behind.

What Hope hadn't predicted was the presence of her fellow Mikaelsons. Davina and Freya emerged from the darkness and joined the witches as a united front. One look at her aunts and the youngest of them knew. _Caroline_. Of course, Caroline had called in the cavalry. Sometimes, Hope was _so _like her father. Always alone. Always on her own. It hadn't even occurred to her to call for backup. It had taken a dozen lifetimes for Klaus to finally learn that family _is _power. It was a lesson Caroline had tried to impart on her best friend. Apparently, it hadn't taken. At least not yet, but that was ok. They had time. They were immortal. All they had was time, but the young woman before them? Hers was running out.

Lizzie's cursed and distorted voice bellowed at the sky as a circle of magic surrounded her. The witches joined hands to lend Bonnie their strength: Josie, Penelope, Freya, Davina, Hope. Eledain was strong. They were stronger. Slowly but surely, they chanted with bated breath as the Gemini magic flowed into the amulet suspended mere inches from her twisted chest. Their feet dug into the ground as the power of their spell battled the darkness. The amulet moved closer and closer.

And then it stopped.

They all stood frozen as time itself seemed to freeze. Lizzie's nails had turned to glowing red talons as she clawed at her own beating heart. "If I can't have her, neither shall you," Eledain growled, her scream a maniacal cackle as she laughed at them all. A feral snarl erupted from the depths of Hope's soul as she wrenched her hands away from her fellow witches and dashed towards her girlfriend.

"HOPE NO!" Bonnie called out from behind clenched teeth. "We have to finish the spell! The magic has to be contained!"

It took all the strength of Caroline, Landon, MG and Rafael to restrain her as she fought to get to Lizzie. "She's killing her!" the tribrid screamed as four pairs of strong arms held her back.

"I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" Lizzie's enchanted voice howled as her eyes glowed in the clearing. As rapidly as her claws had gripped her heart, Eledain let go and turned her magic on the easier targets.

And that's when he knew.

Several things occurred to Landon Kirby all at once. This was what it meant to look evil in the eye. Real evil. Pure. Immortal. Eledain was worse than any evil any of them had ever seen. He thought he'd been prepared for this. After all, he'd known about The Merge for years. When Penelope had called him screaming, he thought he'd be able to tell them what to expect. He had been wrong. This was worse than anything he'd ever imagined. Worse than anything any of them had ever imagined.

Jorlena had been right. "_From the depths of the Earth she came, and she was evil given blood and bone."_

The mother of first Gemini twins had also said Inadu was a terror to rival Eledain, but what if she'd been wrong? This was magic strong enough to pass through the generations. Strong enough to allow for a mystical transfer of twin embryos to a host who was literally dead. Even The Hollow had lay dormant for over a millennium. The Gemini ancestor never had. She'd been there all along. Every year brought her closer to her resurrection. Her return was happening before their very eyes. Before _his _very eyes.

What Landon knew to be true above all other truths was the only one he couldn't ignore: not everyone was going to survive the night.

The magic inside Lizzie was too strong. Hope knew it, too. It wasn't rational. It was intuition. She knew there was no way to explain it, but she could feel it in her very soul that she had to get to Lizzie. If only she could reach her, everything would be ok. They shared a brief look that told him everything he needed to know. She had a plan and she needed his help. There wasn't time to share their mutual revelation with the others. What the tribrid needed was a distraction. Something had to give. Some_one_ had to give. Someone had to _let go_.

So, that's what he did. He let go. Eledain used Lizzie's hands to blast Landon in the chest with a white-hot bolt of unadulterated hell. It was a pain unlike anything he'd felt before. If he screamed, he couldn't hear it because the rush of his own blood was deafening... until it wasn't. He fell to the ground in the blink of an eye that saw no more. The pain was gone. _He_ was gone.

Beyond the terror, Hope felt a rage she'd never known. Landon was dead. He'd sacrificed himself to buy her the time she needed. When the magic landed on Caroline, the daughter of Klaus Mikaelson broke free. Eledain had taken her friend but she would not take her family. Not today. Not before she got always and forever. Landon's sacrifice would not be in vain. That was _her _truth. The tribrid was beyond the space between agony and despair, beyond fear and loathing, beyond the abyss of madness. She was fierce, protective, Original. Driven by primal instinct, Hope lunged forward and held fast to the bloodied talons of Lizzie Saltzman. Copper reigned down as the tribrid's palms were torn to shreds, crimson combining in a deafening boom that left the survivors speechless.

And then it was over.

As quickly as Eledain had emerged, she was gone. Lizzie collapsed on top of her girlfriend and they landed in a heap. The witches fell to their knees as they dragged in deep breaths of oxygen, the forest air filling their lungs as they fought to still their racing hearts. Hope looked down and saw that the amulet was fading fast from green to gold as the magic was finally contained. The chain around the blonde twin's neck sealed itself together with a small pop. Lizzie slowly opened her eyes and they had returned to their cerulean blue. Hope pulled her to her chest as everyone's tears began to fall.

One by one, they gathered around their fallen friend and there were no words. All magic had a price and it had been paid. The spell had been cast and there was no turning back. Landon was dead and Lizzie was human.

The binding was complete.

* * *

A/N *tentatively peeks out from behind the laptop* Well? What did you think? That last scene was a killer. *ba dum tss* This is probably my personal favorite of my current multichaps, but it's been a real bitch trying to line up the first half with the second. I'd really love some feedback on how it all came together. Your reviews are without a doubt my best motivator. Talk to you soon!


	15. We Give Up on Love

Fuck, this was a beast to write. Remind me _never _to write concurrent timelines again. It's incredibly difficult trying to make sure the second part doesn't give away anything I've not revealed in the first. Plus, the second half of this chapter is chock full of the feels. I cried like five times while writing it. But I swear to God, if it's the last thing I do, I _will_ endgame our OTP. You actually might want to consider reading the second half first. I wrote the smut after finishing the end of the chapter. And it was a really hard chapter, so please let me know what you think!

Also, happy anniversary to me! I posted the prologue of this story one year ago today as my first endeavor into the fandom. Little did I know I was starting on a quarter-million-word journey to hell and back! I hope you like it. It's been a hell of a ride getting here.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen – We Give Up on Love**

**Giza, Egypt – 2024 **

"When are you going to learn that murder isn't the only solution?" Caroline huffed in annoyance at her boyfriend's dramatics. Once again, they found themselves surrounded by a crazy cult hellbent on destroying them. "I mean, look at them. This is the most pathetic assassination attempt I've ever seen."

Klaus eyed her sideways before looking back at the Egyptians holding them hostage in the Great Pyramid of Giza. "It is offensively bad, I agree, but murder has always worked before. I don't see why it won't now."

"I'm not saying it isn't an _effective_ method. I'm saying it shouldn't be your go-to when dealing with crazy people." The eternal teenager rolled her eyes at the hybrid's continued snarls. She still clutched the Urn of Nephthys to her chest, but her knuckles were considerably less white as her eyes roved up and down their captors.

Professor Nebethet and the curator turned to each other before scoffing in indignation at their captees. "Perhaps you've failed to notice, but we have the upper hand here, vampires."

"He's a hybrid, actually," the sunshine blonde corrected the academic criminal. "You see this, babe? Total incompetence." Turning back to the curator, she added, "I am embarrassed for you. My pretweens could take you out just by holding a textbook." Lizzie and Josie were barely old enough to see a movie alone, but already they were forces to be reckoned with. Caroline missed her daughters when she was away with Klaus, but they got so little time together that it was worth the sacrifice. She imagined the twins would get quite a laugh out of the crossbows aimed at their mother's chest, half of which were upside down. Hope was only twelve, but she easily could have taken them down with a simple incantation. Of course, she _was _a Mikaelson. She probably shouldn't be trusted to deal with a dozen people threatening her father; their answers would be too similar. The Hollow had been split among her father, aunt and uncles, but there was a different kind of darkness inside the young tribrid. A loneliness.

Caroline knew how much Hope missed Klaus; it was obvious he felt the same. He always had the same sad smile when she'd regale him with her version of stories she was sure he'd heard from the child himself. Little did she know that they hadn't spoken in years. She and her student were close, but Hope was _so _like her father. She stood alone, always pushing everyone away when things got too hard. When the loneliness was too much to bear, she retreated further within herself in a desperate attempt to seek comfort she'd never received from the parents who left her at school when she'd needed them most. Hayley had returned to New Orleans to lead the Crescent wolves not long after she'd enrolled Hope in the Salvatore School. The young girl's saving grace was how close she was to Caroline's daughters. The three were inseparable – when they didn't hate each other that day. Lizzie still had a temper to rival the tribrid's, and Josie defended her sister even when she was wrong. Still, their fights never lasted long.

Caroline looked at the flimsy weapons with disdain and knew the battle ahead would be shorter than even her daughter's mood swings. Klaus snarled beside her; she rolled her eyes and put a hand on his chest. "No killing, babe."

He glared at her sideways, but his eyes did stop glowing and the black veins below them gradually retreated. Turning to her with his hands on his hips, he asked in irritation, "Well, what do you suggest we do with them?"

"Gee, I don't know," she sassed, throwing up her hands in the dank, damp, dead air of the chamber. The aroma of ancient decay and stony filth assaulted their heightened senses as torches flickered on the granite and limestone walls. "Question them, maybe?" Her sapphire eyes closed, blonde curls shaking dejectedly as a contemplative expression overtook his handsome features; it hadn't occurred to him the incompetent humans were worth more than food.

"Yes, I suppose they may be of use," he mused as he eyed their leaders shrewdly. "Can I eat the curator when we're done?" he asked casually, earning him a glare. "Fine, fine, no murder," he conceded, holding up his hands. No, murder was for when Caroline _wasn't _around.

"Excuse me, but we're standing here holding deadly weapons at you. One move and you'll get an arrow in your chest," the professor said smoothly, an air of confidence surrounding her that Klaus longed to rip away with her throat as he snarled menacingly at her.

"It would help if you weren't holding that upside down," Caroline replied, restraining her paramour with a hand to his shoulder. The Egyptian woman's eyes widened as she looked down at the weapon. Sure enough, she was holding it incorrectly. She quickly flipped it over, flustered.

Klaus smirked arrogantly when several of her followers did the same, half of them also taking a step back. He nodded at the ineffective object as he moved towards the group. Three of them turned on their heels and tried to run, but he flashed behind them, blocking their path. The curator boldly fired his weapon, but Caroline easily dodged his shot while still protecting the antiquated urn. She roughly ripped away his crossbow and knocked him to the ground just beyond the doorway with one hand. She quickly broke the weapon against the gritty stone wall and scoffed when she saw the arrows. "Babe, these are carbon."

"Bloody idiots," the hybrid murmured as he quickly disarmed the rest of them. One particularly large man refused to quietly surrender his useless scrap of metal; Klaus didn't hesitate to break his nose. The spicy aroma of copper filled the air as blood poured down the man's face, his howls resulting in gasps of alarm and a few pleas for mercy in a language Caroline didn't recognize but was sure Klaus could understand. He smirked at her as he commanded the group in their native tongue to gather against the wall. The hybrid never could resist showboating in front of his favorite vampire.

The power couple quickly searched the terrified humans, emptying all their pockets and breaking every electronic they had. Caroline was pragmatic; she didn't want their conversation recorded. Klaus was just hateful. Besides bloody vengeance, his mission to save the twins was all he had to cling to when the forever teenager wasn't around, which was most of the time. He'd be damned if a bunch of ill-prepared mortals lay so much as a finger on that urn.

"Should we check them for vervain?" he asked hopefully with an innocent smile that didn't fool her.

The blonde just looked at him, bored, but he could see the wheels turning. "_I _will check them," she said firmly as she strode over to him. She smiled sweetly as she handed over the urn and reached into his back pocket. His eyes flashed gold when she leaned in just a little closer than was strictly necessary; he could smell her arousal. Life in Mystic Falls was dull; their adventures were exciting.

Klaus knew the mischievous smile curling her upper lip as she fished around for his knife. He grabbed her wrist at superhuman speed as her hand emerged wrapped around the folded metal. He leaned closer and whispered low enough for only a vampire to hear, "Not that I haven't had an audience, but we should probably interrogate them before I ravish you. Don't think I've forgotten our bet." He delighted in the ways her eyes narrowed even as her cheeks flushed crimson in the darkness.

Caroline straightened her shoulders and pushed away her naughty thoughts as best she could. Turning to the first woman, she instructed her firmly, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"What are you going to do?" the professor asked with as much defiance as she could muster while eyeing the pocketknife warily as Caroline unfolded it under the flickering light of the few torches lining the yellowing inner walls of the Great Pyramid.

"I'm going to taste each of your blood to determine whether or not you can be compelled," she replied frankly.

"What's compelled?" one of the trembling women whispered in the ear of the shivering man beside her, their fingers intertwined as they curled against the stone in little balls.

"Oh, for the love-" Klaus shook his head in disgust at the worst thieves of all time. "Caroline, can we please just kill them? If nothing else, it would spare the world from future generations of these fools."

"_No murder!" _she repeated with a face of stone.

"If they _are _on vervain, can I at least have a little fun with them? They won't remember it, anyway." His voice was practically a whine; it made her smile inside despite their bizarre circumstances.

Caroline didn't bother to respond as she turned back to the woman without humor. "The easy way is that I prick your finger; the hard is that I turn you over to Klaus. What's it gonna be?" The cult members looked to each other for long moments before the golden-skinned woman tentatively held up her hand. She yelped when the blade lightly pierced her skin and tried to pull away, but the vampire was faster. Turning to her lover, she proclaimed, "This one's clean. Next."

One by one, she went down the line and tasted the blood of the dozen frightened Egyptians. The eternal teenager had to bite back a grin at Klaus' low grumbling as each of them passed her test. He was just itching for a good murder; he hadn't killed anyone since before he'd picked up Caroline at the airport. She satisfied him in other ways that were far more pleasurable, but murder was a tough habit to shake. The world was better off when they were together.

"Well," she sighed after she'd finished her bloody task, "the downside is that you don't get to torture them, babe." She winked at his crestfallen expression. "But at least we know they'll tell us everything. Although, I don't know whether I should be grateful or insulted."

"Personally, I'm going with the latter," Klaus hmphed as he petulantly kicked the shoes of the curator. "What in the bloody hell made you think you could take on two fully powered immortals with carbon arrows and no backup?" He petulantly kicked harder when the man was too terrified to answer.

The blonde rolled her eyes and pulled him away. "You do the men; I'll do the woman. Take them over there, and Klaus," she warned with a pointy finger in his direction, "do _not _kill them."

The hybrid grumbled deep in the back of his throat, but finally acknowledged her with a nod. If anyone could keep him from slaughtering the masses, it was Caroline. Unfortunately for the humans, it didn't stop him from roughly grabbing the arm of the curator and tossing him up against the opposite side of the corridor. He flashed before his trembling form and inhaled deeply of the blood still dribbling down his upper lip. "I promised my lover that I wouldn't kill you, but that doesn't mean you are safe," he whispered menacingly. The man gulped; Klaus smiled.

Letting his eyes dilate, he compelled the curator to tell him every last detail, omitting nothing. Once the man nodded his understand, the questioning began. "Now, why don't you tell me why exactly you faked an urn when you knew where the real one was all along?"

"We hadn't the means to enter the hidden chamber," he answered mechanically, heart racing despite the compulsion pinning him to the wall.

"But you knew an immortal could?"

The man shook his head. "N-no, you came as a happy surprise. When you came asking about the urn, Professor Nebethet put it together."

An evil smirk illuminated the hybrid's face in the dank air. "And yet you remember my questions even though your blood was free of vervain."

"No!" the curator responded quickly, eyes wide. "Professor Nebethet overhead our conversation! Your mind control was quite effective. I still don't remember our discussion. I swear it!" he pleaded, sweat beading down his temple.

Klaus hmphed. "Well, we'll just have to see about that." He took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Punch yourself in the face." The Egyptian's eyes were saucers as his hand involuntarily curled into a fist and catapulted into his already broken nose. He howled and fell to his knees, clutching the blood cartilage.

"Klaus!" Caroline scolded, rolling her eyes. "No torturing them, either!"

The immortal held up his hands innocently. "Just testing a theory, sweetheart. He'll live." She huffed but turned back to the woman she had pinned up against the wall. "Up you go, mate," he said cordially as he offered the man a hand. He obediently took it, smearing crimson all over the hybrid's palm, eyes wide as his body trembled. The hybrid threw up back up against the wall, gripping his collar in his fist and scraping his claws along the man's neck. _He was terrified. _ Klaus reveled in it. Few things in life brought him greater joy than making people fear him; he had the power to make them afraid. "Well, now that I know I have you at my mercy," he said in a low and husky tone, trailing a claw seductively down the man's bloody cheek, "tell me, why lie about the urn?"

Klaus could see the compulsion working, but the man shook with such fear that his words came out in a jumble. Rolling his eyes, the hybrid took pity on him, something that definitely came from his close proximity to the love of his life. "Don't be afraid; I'm not going to hurt you." Caroline cast him an approving gaze from across the corridor; his chest swelled and he felt a calm come over him. "Now, answer my questions."

The curator visibly relaxed, his shoulders slumping as Klaus loosened his grip on the man's shoulder. "We needed the money," he replied mechanically. At the hybrid's raised brow, he continued, "We needed to keep the Urn safe. With all the technology, scientists were getting too close to uncovering the Big Void. Rumors have existed about the urn for centuries; there are others who know of it's power. We needed it to seem like we had it, so that our rivals would give up. The money would have allowed us to continue our efforts to open the hidden chamber, but then you came along."

Klaus rubbed his chin as he considered it, arms crossed over his chest. "Why lie about Osiris? Why not fake the Urn of Nephthys from the beginning?" he asked speculatively.

"The tomb of Osiris is considered to be at Abydos," the curator explained in a monotone as the compulsion forced him to speak. "It was always rumored the two urns were together. Covering up the truth about the Urn of Nephyths' location kept everyone else away from the pyramid."

"You said _considered _to be buried," Klaus pointed out. "If he isn't in Abydos, then where _is _he buried?"

"No one knows," the man replied helplessly, terrified that his lack of information would result in immediate, bloody death. "I swear to you; I do not know."

"Is there anything you've left out? Anything at all?" he asked menacingly, towering over the man as he stared mechanically forward. Perhaps compelling away his fear had been a mistake. Interrogation was so much more fun when mixed with intimidation.

"No, that is all I know." The man sighed in relief and collapsed to the floor when his captor finally released him.

Klaus went down the line and questioned each of the men, but none of them knew any more than the curator. Groaning, he stalked over to where Caroline was interrogating the professor, clearly having saved the best for last. "So, to awaken the urn, you have to call upon the goddess Nephthys and the god Osiris? That's it?" the blonde asked, satisfied that a simple summoning was all that was necessary. Hope was a powerful witch even at twelve. By the time The Merge took place, she'd been a tribrid in full bloom, leaving little doubt as to her abilities to cast the spell.

"No, that isn't 'it,'" the professor elaborated. "Nephthys resides in Aaru, but one cannot get to Aaru without passing through the kingdom of Duat. There are trials before one can enter." A smug smile spread across her golden cheeks despite her terror. "Tests you and your _monster _will never pass. The Urn is useless to you."

Caroline smiled sweetly before grabbing the other woman by her silky black hair and banging her head against the stone wall. "Tell me about these tests," she commanded with a saccharine smile, eyes dilating as hatred flashed behind the woman's chocolate orbs.

"In the land of Duat, the hearts of the dead must be weighed again the Feather of Maat."

"It represents the concept of duality," Klaus interjected, placing his hand on the small of his lover's back. It was impossible being around her without touching her. "It's why the heart is the only organ that remained when the dead were mummified. They were seen as parts of the soul."

"That is correct," confirmed the professor in a monotone. "If the heart was lighter, or even equal, to the feather, it was decided that the deceased had led a virtuous life and wound ascend to Aaru."

"Osiris was the guardian of the gates of Aaru, right?" Caroline asked, although her gaze flicked more towards her paramour than to the woman she held captive.

Klaus nodded. "After he became part of the Egyptian pantheon and displaced Anubis in the Ogdoad tradition, yes."

"What happened to the hearts that were unworthy?" the blonde demanded of the professor, forcing herself to tear her gaze from the predatory one of her lover.

"It was devoured by the goddess Ammit, it's owner condemned to remain in the Duat for all time." Nebethet's eerie smile return as she glared at the immortals. "Tell me, hybrid, are you familiar with the forty-two negative confessions?"

Caroline turned to him just in time to see him roll his cerulean eyes, pupils flashing in the torch light. "Yes, yes, they're a list of sins, all of which I've committed in spades. Your point?"

The professor scoffed in disgust. "Of course you have. Well, if you already know that, then you know the urn is of no use to you. Why not just give it to us? We aren't monsters like you and your girlfriend."

The Egyptian woman went flying through the air before Caroline had a chance to tell Klaus no murder, a feral snarl erupting from his lips as he growled in her face. "Don't you dare presume to know my girlfriend better than I. She is _nothing _like me, as evidenced by the fact that you and miserable little coven are still alive."

"We aren't a coven, _beast." _Her voice remained steady despite the terrified whimpers coming from her peers as they cowered in fear. "We are scientists who seek the truth of your world. You may _compel _us today, but one day, our kind will learn all that there is to know about the secrets you hide. Mark my words – your time will come."

"Actually," Caroline interjected, ripping the woman away from Klaus and staring her dead in the eye, "I've heard enough of your words. You will forget all that happened today, and all that you have even learned, or even wondered, about the supernatural world. You will be a devout nonbeliever. If you find anything in your home, office or elsewhere, you will burn it and vehemently deny it was ever yours. Tell me you understand."

"I understand," she replied robotically, eyes hazy as her memories were wiped.

"Good," Caroline said gruffly, shoving the woman towards the exit. "You will leave and go home." Turning back to the group, she tried hard to ignore Klaus' proud smirk. "Next?"

It took the vampire more than an hour to compel each of them herself, not trusting the hybrid not to maim or murder. Once the last of them filed out, he crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck. "You can be quite bossy when you set your mind to it." His voice was low and husky, and it sent a warmth tingling between her legs as she remembered their bet. She smiled against his lips as he kissed her cheek. "Perhaps you should let someone else have a turn being in charge."

Caroline turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "And who might that be?" she asked coyly, somehow still blushing at the way he undressed her with his topaz eyes. It didn't matter if they were caked in desert dust and flecked with the blood of their enemies; Klaus was perfect.

"Let's go back to the hotel. I'll tell you all about being the one in control," he teased with a lecherous wink. "I believe you owe me quite a lot of begging, if I remember correctly."

With a flirty wink, she teased, "Make me."

If anyone on the planet could _make _Klaus Mikaelson do anything, it was Caroline Forbes.

Without even bothering to go back for the rental car, he flashed them all the way back to their hotel in Heliopolis. He'd booked the penthouse suite, of course. He flew them up the back stairway before any of the humans had a clue something brushed passed them. By the time he tossed her on the bed, the air had left their lungs. He collapsed on top of her, heaving, as her laugher filled the air. "I can't believe you just flashed us across the desert just so you could get me naked."

"Naked and tied up, actually," he corrected her with a smug smirk. "After all, we _did _have to compel the curator. Twice."

Caroline's jaw dropped; she huffed. "That wasn't fair! He walked in while we're blood-sharing. It wasn't like my interrogation techniques failed."

"No, I'd say they were spot-on this afternoon," he praised proudly. "I love a woman with a brain."

The blonde bit her lower lip, her tone mischievous. "_A_ woman?"

"One woman. My girlfriend, to be precise," he said with just a touch of insecurity behind his soft smile.

Caroline barked out a laugh as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well, I suppose it's better than _partner._" She kissed him before he could roll his eyes. "I love you, too, _boyfriend._"

Klaus hung his head, dimples coming out to play as his chest swelled. "I sincerely doubt that's possible, sweetheart." Even though it had been years since they'd begun seeing each other, it still marveled him that such a beautiful creature could possibly love _him_. The professor had been right. He _was _a monster… but not when he was with the love of his life. He'd been alive for a thousand years and had known more misery than his siblings combined, and yet he was here. In bed. With Caroline. In love.

With a mischievous smirk, he ripped off every shred of her clothing, his mouth attacking hers in a frenzy of tongue and teeth. He could still taste the coppery bloody of the Egyptians as he explored every inch of her, inside and out. His hands roved over her breasts, shaping and molded them to his fancy as he tweaked her nipples one by one. He kissed his way down her throat as he peered around the room, his eyes settling on the cords of the velvet drapes. "Stay still," he whispered against her silky skin.

"Yes, Master," she teased playfully, making his cock twitch in his pants. She loved their little games. They both knew she wore the pants in their relationship… except when she wasn't _wearing _pants. He smirked at her as he pulled his Henley over his head, tossing it aside before effortlessly ripping the velvet cords in half.

"What to do with you," he mused as he ran the royal blue tassels over her nipples and down her chest, stopping just as the tips grazed the top of her bare lips. He did enjoy 21st century grooming. "Life your knees; spread your legs." She did so without hesitation, her lower belly tightening when he expertly wrapped the cords around her ankles, binding her to the bedposts. "Palms together; arms over your head," he commanded as he repeated the process with her wrists. He took a step back to enjoy the sight of her, spread and bound and at his mercy. Life was good.

Klaus clasped his hands behind his back as he slowly stalked around the bed, loving the way her body trembled, craved him when he wasn't even touching her. An idea occurred to him when his eyes landed on a bowl of native fruits. A sly smile spread across the face as he picked up a particularly juicy mango, perfectly ripe for what he needed it for. He pulled his bloody knife out of his back pocket and effortlessly pealed it to reveal the yellow flesh, eyes never leaving hers. Her eyes flashed when she realized what was coming. He was an artist, after all; creativity was part of his charm.

Walking back over to her, he kicked off his boots and climbed beside her, propping himself up on an elbow. "Hungry?" he teased, raising a challenging brow.

"Starved," she replied in a husky whisper as her pussy clenched around air. Her pink tongue darted out to lick her lips as he slowly and sensually dripped the juices down her breasts, coating her nipples in thick nectar. He leaned down and lapped at the sugary liquid again and again, taunting her. "Klaus," she breathed when he mercifully dripped a drop on her velvet folds. Anticipation thrilled her. but he wasn't done playing, not just yet. With a smirk, he raised his mouth back to her sticky nipples and ran his tongue around her rosy buds, savoring the taste of fruit and Caroline. He suddenly bit down hard with his human teeth, making her jump and tear at her bindings, but he'd tied her down tight and she wasn't going anywhere. A bet was a bet and he'd won. She was the ultimate prize.

Slowly and sensually, he dragged the pulp down her body and used it to part her lips, gently rubbing it against her dripping center. Letting his eyes flash gold, he brought it to his lips and took a bite. "Delicious." Her core clenched at the lascivious sight of him consuming the flesh of the mango. After he'd had his fill, he repeated his process before feeding the rest of it to her, her juices mingling in with the sugary sweetness. "Good girl," he praised as she obediently lapped at it.

Smirking evilly, he stood up and kicked off his jeans and silky black boxers. "Open your mouth," he commanded as he got on his knees beside her, his cock even with her puffy lips. He squeezed what remained of the pulp over his thick length and offered himself to her. "Clean me." Caroline moaned as the taste of his salty precum blended with the juice of the mango. He pressed his cock between her lips and pulled her mouth down on him with a fist tangled in her golden curls. He stared down at her as his shaft moved in and out of her face like nothing had been more intriguing in his thousand years. Her heart swelled at his expression and it encouraged her to take him deeper down her throat. She swirled her tongue around and around his head as she pushed him closer to the edge. He began fucking her mouth hard and fast as his breathing quickened, his fist setting the pace as he pounded into her. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the sensation of pleasing him as he spilled his seed down her throat, greedily lapping at every last drop until they both were sated.

"Fuck, Caroline," he groaned as his cock twitched on the way out of her lips. He collapsed on top of her and kissed her passionately, tasting his arousal on her tongue. He covertly grabbed the bulky seed of the mango, startling her when he used it to circle her nipples one by one. He rolled on top of her and slowly licked her clean until he got to her soaked pussy, propping himself up on his elbows. He looked up at her with an evil smile as he pressed the seed to her clit and began rubbing small circles around and around. Her head fell back against the massive pillows as he stimulated her beyond reason.

"Remember, don't come until I say," he reminded deviously, making her twitch. Using his free hand, he parted her lips and sunk his tongue deep inside her fruity center, the seed never leaving her clit. Her moans become pants as he fucked her with his sharp muscle. "Beg me for it, sweetheart," he ordered against her pussy, the vibrations thrumming through her lower belly.

"Fuck, Klaus, yes, please, please fuck me harder," she immediately chanted obediently, loving every minute of it.

"Not yet, love," he teased, lapping at her quivering hole. "Tell me what you want. Maybe I'll give it to you."

"Please, please, please use your fingers," Caroline pleaded, legs shaking as she tried to hold on. "Please, God, yes! _YES_!" She began to scream when he suddenly plunged three digits deep between her legs, the seed flying over his shoulder as he latched his lips around her clit and sucked hard. "_PLEASE_ let me come, please, fuck, Klaus, please." Tears sprang to her eyes as he kept her on the edge. "I need it, please, _please."_

"Come for me, Caroline." She didn't have to be told twice. He hooked his fingers inside her and she exploded, crying out his name over and over as he continued to fuck her through a mind-blowing orgasm that left her heaving and desperate for more.

Willing to oblige, he climbed on top of her and sunk his hard cock deep within her trembling walls, not even giving her time to fully come down before he was fucking her hard and fast. "Again," he whispered against her sticky lips before parting them with his tongue and feeding her the taste of herself. She screamed down his throat when his thumb expertly circled her clit, applying just the right amount of pressure for her fleshy walls to clamp down around him. He dug his nails into the pillow, biting down on her neck with his human teeth to keep from coming as she pulsed around his aching shaft.

The hybrid inhaled a shuddering breath as he slowed his pace, this time letting her catch her breath before resuming his thrusting. He ripped away the cords holding her legs spread and wrapped them around his waist to hit her deeper. Their hips moved in perfect fluidity as they danced their sensual dance. He kissed up her throat, nibbling her ear and smirking at her still bound wrists. Perhaps he'd leave her like that for a while, make her wait until he felt like playing again. After all, she'd kept him waiting for years before finally admitting how much she wanted him, too. He tugged her lower lip down with his teeth as he snapped his hips to meet hers, fast approaching the edge.

"Come for me, love." He tilted her to hit just the right spot to get his way, his thumb massaging her tiny nub as he harshly sucked a sugary nipple, their bodies a mixture of sweat and nectar. She came with a shout when she felt him spill inside of her, eagerly meeting his thrusts as he fucked her hard and fast until she was trembling beneath him, where she belonged.

It was long moments before he gently pulled himself out of her soaked pussy and lay his head on her chest, hearts racing. "That was-"

"Uh huh," she agreed, neither of them coherent enough to speak. A lazy smile caressed her cheeks when she sleepily looked down at him minutes later. "I love you."

Klaus smiled back up at her as his eyes grew heavy. Caroline's breasts were a wonderful place for a nap… especially when she was tied to the bed and would be there waiting when he woke up.

"I love you, too."

* * *

**Mystic Falls, October 18, 2032 **

_How am I supposed to live without her?_

When Hope looked down and saw the betrayed confusion so painfully tearing Lizzie apart, she knew it was over.

No one said a word: not Caroline, not Bonnie, not even Josie or Penelope, and definitely not Hope Mikaelson. Someone was going to have to tell the freshly bound ex-witch what had happened and why. The tribrid supposed it would have to be her…. but how? Where did she even begin? How did _any_ of this begin? It began centuries ago with witches. Her father had been right: _Young, old, dead, or alive, witches are a pain in the ass. _

How Hope wished her father was alive to tell her what to do. What to say. But he wasn't there. He was nowhere – and she was here. She wanted to be somewhere else. _Anywhere_ else. Anywhere but at the side of the woman she betrayed. What was even worse than the look of confusion in the blonde's topaz eyes was the lifeless grey clouding the frozen orbs of their fallen friend. Landon Kirby had paid the ultimate price to grant Lizzie her freedom from Eledain's hold. When the human's gaze finally fell on his still body, her tears joined the river of misery flowing from the depths of her friend's soul. Seeing Landon lying dead was more than Hope could bear. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed it not to be true.

But it was.

Long moments passed before Hope turned to her fellow witches, all of whom were descendant from families that passed down the secrets to resurrection. When she finally spoke, she sounded so small. "Aunt Davina, Aunt Freya, Bonnie, isn't there-" Her words faltered when a sob choked her; their answer was clear.

Davina surged forward and held her niece in her arms before she collapsed to the ground, pleading for answers that would not come. She broke away and threw herself over Landon's lifeless body. "No, no, no, you can't be dead!" She shook him as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face, her control gone at last as guilt devoured what remained of her broken heart. "_En dugas, tuas, animos_," she chanted mindlessly as she placed her hands on his frozen chest.

Nothing happened.

Bonnie Gilbert looked on sympathetically as she recalled the day she'd brought her husband back from the dead the time he was wearing the family ring, but Landon had to magical protection, and the spell would bring no life.

"_Victas phesmatis ex eleto. Revertas phesmatis ut victas. Victas phesmatis ex eleto. Revertas phesmatis ut victas." _The witches shared a desperate glance as they watched the tribrid, unsure how to tell her that her efforts would fail again. Hope had all the magic in the world, but she didn't have the power of a hundred dead witches. All she had was a heart that was breaking.

"_La cendre à l'os, de la chair à la vie. De la cendre à l'os, de la chair à la vie." _Freya watched sadly as her mother's spell failed for they had no ashes, only a lifeless corpse. "_Fian en che en kanu. Fian en che en kanu_," she tried again, but Davina's spell that had once been hijacked by her Uncle Elijah to resurrect his mother also failed.

Hope sucked in a shuddering breath; her eyes glowed yellow as her desperation grew into a feral beast. Channeling all the magic she'd ever known, she inhaled a wave of mystical energy. She closed them briefly and when they opened, nothing remained but black orbs as she tried the last spell in her repertoire. _"Phasmatos ravenus on animum."_

Bonnie's eyes widened as she heard the words of the spell that had cost her her life. She fell to Hope's side and tried in vain to rip her away from Landon's body before it was too late. "Hope, _no!_ Even you can't wield that kind of power. Expression will kill you!"

"_Phasmatos ravenus on animum. Phasmatos ravenus on animum. Phasmatos raverus on animum!" _the tribrid chanted, ignoring the elder witch's pleas.

"Caroline, _help_," she implored her oldest friend. The blonde vampire sprang into action and took one arm as Bonnie clawed at the other. They were strong; Hope was stronger.

Lizzie and her friends watched in horror as the wind began to swirl in a vortex that threatened to engulf the trio, but the tribrid would not give in. She had to save Landon. Had to undo what she had done. _This had been her fault. _Everything had been her fault: Lizzie's binding, Landon's death, even the death of her uncle and parents had come because she had foolishly tried to lure Klaus back to New Orleans. He had been free: of her, of his toxic family, of all the pain associated with being a Mikaelson. She had been alone, but they had all been _alive_. And now they weren't. It was too much; it was all just _too much. _Her voice became a bellow as she shouted the incantation again and again.

"_PHASMATOS RAVENUS ON ANIMUM! PHASMATOS RAVENUS ON ANIMUM! PHASMATOS RAVENUS ON ANIMUM!" _

Lightning cracked through the air and landed squarely in Landon's chest, all three women catapulting backwards as his body burst into flames. The fire left Hope's eyes as her hands flew to her mouth. "What have I done?" she screamed wildly, voice barely coherent as her friend continued to burn. She looked behind her to where Bonnie had fallen, but the Bennet descendent just shook her head in confusion, hazel eyes wide in shock. She turned to her girlfriend, but the blonde recoiled in horror. _Who was this woman?_

The shattered redhead cowering on the ground before her bore so little resemblance to the woman she'd loved that she barely recognized her. She didn't need to be told that her magic was gone; she could feel the earth no longer. Rage should have burned brighter than the heat engulfing her fallen friend, but that was gone, too. Something else had been taken, and she thought she knew now what her mother and lover had kept from her. It wasn't Inadu, but it all made sense. Something had been inside of her for years. Some_one._ Whoever that witch was, she was gone now, banished to wherever evil went to hide. All that was left was a girl who had been betrayed by the two people she had trusted above all others.

The fire burned out before Lizzie's horror quelled. They all looked down, their gaze magnetized by the grizzly sight of Landon's charred body… only, it wasn't charred. No, the shape of a human was still there, covered in thick layers of ash. Hope was the first to crawl forward on her hands and knees to examine the pyre of death. She reached out to touch the white powder when suddenly, a cloud puffed up as the corpse itself coughed, choking on the dust. He sat up and cleared his lungs, dragging in deep gasps of air as the remnants of the fire floated away in the gentle breeze of the now still forest.

Landon himself was the first to break the silence. "Well," he coughed with a dry chuckle, pounding on his chest to empty his throat, "I guess I'm not so normal after all."

"H-how are you alive?" Hope asked in wonder as she threw herself at him. Landon eagerly returned her hug but shrugged; he had no idea.

"I might be able to answer that," Penelope interjected quietly, speaking for the first time since their spell had ended. "What? I paid attention in Alardick's classes, too." She squeezed Josie's hand, offering up a small smirk. Nodding at Landon, she confidently told the crowd, "He's a phoenix."

"I'm a _what?" _the bird asked incredulously as he rose to his feet, wiping away the rest of the ashes.

"A phoenix," the sassy brunette replied, rolling her eyes. "You know, an ancient bird that dies and is reborn by rising from the ashes. Duh." She smiled at him as she moved forward to give him a hug. "Looks like you're one of the freaks. Welcome to the family."

Landon smiled his charming smile and embraced his fellow supernatural as she welcomed him back from the dead with open arms. After a minute, he pulled back and asked indignantly, "What you mean welcome? Wasn't I already _in _the family?"

Penelope rolled her chestnut eyes. "Well, consider this your birth certificate. Or, you know, death certificate. Whatever." They shared another laugh, but their smiles faded when they turned back to see Lizzie glaring at them, arms crossed over her chest as she backed away from her sister and mother.

"If you're done laughing, would one of you assholes please tell me what the actual _fuck_ is going on?!" Hair stood up on the back of everyone's neck at the blonde's tone, all of them expecting her usual outburst.

Hope alone moved forward, hands held up in a gesture of surrender. "Sweetheart, there are some things you need to know, ok? Why don't we just-"

"_We _aren't doing _anything_!" Lizzie shouted, taking a step back from the woman she trusted no longer. "I'll say there are some things I need to know, but not from you. _You did this!" _She gestured at her now human heart, angry tears springing to her eyes as she tried in vain to rip off the amulet that would not budge. "I can't feel the earth anymore! Do you think I don't know what it _means _that I can't sense nature?" Bonnie's heart clenched as she remembered the day Damon had turned her mother into a vampire. It had been hell watching Abby suffer, but this was worse. The elder Bennet had once turned her back on the spirits; Lizzie never had. "You took my magic!"

Caroline moved closer to her daughter, desperate to take her in her arms as she had when her tantrums had run rampant as a child. "Baby, just calm down and I'll tell you everythi-"

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down!" Lizzie shouted, stepping back. "I can't feel whatever the hell was inside of me anymore, either, so don't come at me like I'm going to rip someone's head off. You're damn right someone's going to tell me everything, but it sure as hell isn't going to be you. You were in on this from the start! You and Hope are thick as thieves. There's no way she did this without you steering the ship. Both of you fucking _suck_," she spat virulently, fighting back tears she wouldn't let fall. She wasn't about to prove everyone right; she wasn't crazy. Not anymore. She wasn't a witch anymore, either. Looking around the circle, she eyed the supernaturals one by one. When her eyes finally fell on her twin, her expression softened. "Jo," she said with a small sniffle, "take a walk with me? I need to get away from _them_."

"Of course," the brunette replied kindly, quickly taking her sister's hand and following her into the darkness. Josie had a gentle touch and her sister trusted her. She'd been by her side since Lizzie's first tantrum, siding with her always and forever. Learning about The Merge had been devastating, but her gut reaction had been the worst of all. _Why couldn't it have been me? _Josie would have taken the fall without a moment's hesitation; that's just who she was. When there was no one else, Lizzie always had her sister. Family above all.

A lump formed in Hope's throat as she watched her lover walk away without looking back, but she knew better than to run after her. She and Lizzie were so alike, always pushing each other away. In the end, they always got back together. The tribrid feared this would be the end of that, but her night was far from over. She wiped away a stray tear and turned to the witches with bloodshot eyes. "So, that happened," she tried to laugh, failing miserably. "Anybody got a towel?" she asked, holding up her freshly healed hands, streaked with the blood of the woman who'd walked away.

"Yeah, I got you," MG replied before flashing away. He was back before the tears could begin again with a pack of makeup remover wipes and a towel.

"Really, yo?" Rafael commented, scoffing in good humor.

Smiling sheepishly, the vampire explained, "It was the best I could do on short notice."

Hope gratefully took the wipes and offered up a tiny grin, thankful that her friends hadn't abandoned her even after what she'd done. _Would she have stayed? _She didn't know. "Thanks, M. That's perfect."

"No problem." It was a simple statement, but it spoke volumes. "Hey, uh, those may work for you, but I think our Greek god over here might need a little more than a wipe," he said with a laugh as he looked over his ashen drenched best friend.

"Egyptian, actually," Freya commented. "The phoenix myths date back to the Bennu, a sort of deity shaped like a heron. He was said to have lived on stones and obelisks. He was worshiped kind of like Osiris and Ra."

Realization dawning, Caroline's eyes snapped to her best friend. _They needed to talk. _She cast her gaze to the boys and gave Landon a small nod, quickly mouthing, "Thank you." It was a gesture the phoenix briefly returned, unsure what, if anything, to say.

"I think MG is right about the whole needing to get cleaned up thing," Landon said bashfully. "I'm gonna do that and then go check in with the girls. I'll call you later." Hope nodded, emotions clogging her throat as a million emotions warred from within. _Landon had died tonight. _A simple boy they'd taken under their wing in high school, he'd become a man. A good man. Admirable. Loyal. Immortal.

"Hey, wait up," Penelope called after them, nodding at Hope as she followed after her friends.

After the next generation was out of earshot, Freya surged forward and engulfed her niece in a warm hug, surprising her. Hope awkwardly returned it, unused to that kind of affection from her family of origin. They'd all drifted apart after Klaus and Elijah died, but maybe it wasn't too late to salvage the Mikaelsons. "Sweet girl, I am so sorry."

The redhead pulled back, making a face. "For what? You didn't do anything."

"That's kind of the point," Davina added, stepping forward to take her niece's hand. "You've been going through all this alone. You shouldn't have been. When I told you that I wouldn't help bring Klaus back, I meant it… but I didn't mean I wouldn't be there at all. I should have been here for you, for Lizzie. If you love her, then that makes her one of us."

"And we stand by each other, always and forever," Freya interjected, taking her niece's other hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "We're in this now. We'll do whatever it takes to stop The Merge. You're not alone in this, kiddo."

Caroline frowned and took her best friend by the shoulders. "Sorry to interrupt, but she's _never _been alone. I've been here for her since she was seven years old and Inadu broke up your family. _I'm _her family now." Hope leaned into the immortal teenager and briefly closed her eyes as she accepted all the comfort she could get. "That being said, I think it's safe to say she has more than enough love to go around," she added with a smile that put everyone at ease. "I'll gladly take you up on any help you can give. This isn't over."

Hope looked around at the women and felt a warmth surge through her that she hadn't felt in a long time. She'd been so focused on helping Lizzie that she'd almost forgotten her family's vow. _Almost. _"I appreciate that, I do, but it's been a long ass night. I'm beat. Will you be in town tomorrow?"

"Of course we will," Freya promised. "Get some rest and we'll come to the mansion around lunchtime. I love you, baby girl." She kissed Hope on the forehead and smiled at her, tucking a stray tendril behind her ear just as she'd done so many years before. _How had they gotten here? _She didn't know, but tomorrow would be better. _It had to be. _

"I'll see you then, kiddo," Davina agreed, briefly embracing her niece before she and her sister-in-law vanished into the forest.

After long moments, Caroline awkwardly turned to her original best friend. "Well, that was probably more than you bargained for," she said apologetically. "I'm so, so sorry Bon. I never meant t-"

"I know," the witch replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Don't waste your breath on apologies. I kind of have to agree with them," she admitted, cocking her head at where the other women had disappeared. "After Enzo died and Elena woke up, I kind of dipped on you, Care."

"You all did," the blonde said softly, looking away sadly. "And I know why you did. You wanted to get away from… all of this." She looked around the clearing where the earth was scarred with ashes, where the trees were streaked with blood, where the magic had turned to chaos.

Sighing, Bonnie conceded, "You're right. I don't miss this being my life, but I miss being a part of yours. I'm sorry I haven't been there."

"I'm sorry too," Caroline whispered. She forced herself to look back at her friend, heart breaking all over again. "You have the life you want, and I have this. You should go home."

Bonnie smiled sadly, knowing her old friend was right. She had a family: a husband, children, human friends. Maybe their time had passed after all. Magic was a cunning beast and exhaustion was coming for her. It was time to go. One last time. "I'll catch you later, ok?"

Caroline nodded, but they both knew it was a lie.

As the Bennet witch walked off into the darkness, a thought occurred to the tribrid. "Care, can you meet me at our place in half an hour? I need to talk to her real quick. It's witch business."

"Yeah, sure, go ahead," she replied as brightly as she could manage. Always the beauty queen.

"Thanks. You're the best," Hope said fondly, pecking her best friend on the cheek. "Hey, Bonnie! Wait up." She sprinted after the other woman, leaving Caroline to survey the wreckage. She looked around and, with a dejected sigh, flashed off into the night without looking back.

Bonnie slowed her pace as the young girl jogged to catch up with her. "What's up, Hope?" A lump was in her throat, but she fought it down, silently praying this wasn't about the last goodbye.

"Don't worry," she assured her placatingly, "I'm not here to talk about Caroline. I had a question about the ritual."

"Oh, thank God." Bonnie released her breath is a whoosh, relief written all over her face and reflected in her hazel eyes that shone in the moonlight.

Hope felt a pang in her chest as she reflected on her friend's broken facial expression. _Caroline had lost so much. _"I get what happened with the whole fire thing, but what was that before? When Lizzie grabbed my hands. Well, ripped them, actually," she added, frowning as looked down at her newly healed palms caked in blood.

The witch opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it contemplatively. "This is all new stuff, even for me," she confessed.

"Come on, Bon. You're one of the strongest witches in the world. You must have _some _idea." Her tone was imploring, eyes sincere as she begged for help.

"That was blood magic; that much I know." The older woman's mouth opened and closed a few times before she awkwardly tucked a tendril behind her ear, black flecked with grey as her age began to show more and more every year. "I mean, if I had to guess, I'd say it has something to do with your dad."

Hope's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "My dad? How?"

"Well, the original binding was done with his blood, and you're half his," Bonnie unknowingly revealed.

"Original binding?" she asked skeptically. "Caroline never said anything about a binding, and Lizzie sure as hell didn't."

"She wouldn't remember; she was just a kid – and also unconscious," she sighed, internally groaning that she'd let something slip no one told her was a secret. "You were just a kid, too. And besides, it was a temporary thing Davina cast years ago."

"Davina?" She was shocked that neither Caroline nor her aunt had ever mentioned that. _Another secret. _

"A Bennet had to do the full binding, so it wasn't permanent," she said dismissively, oblivious to Hope's inner turmoil. "They were trying not to use the amulet Care found in Spain. It was an attempt to dull Lizzie's powers in the hope that Eledain would be kept at bay, but it would have expired when your dad…" she trailed off uncomfortably.

"Expired?" Hope hmphed without humor. "I guess that's one way to put it. So, you think, what, that somehow linked me to Lizzie?"

"Yeah, that's what blood magic does," she confirmed with a shrug. She tiredly ran her fingers through her hair and looked up at the sky, gauging the time by the light of the moon. "It's late. I should go, but I meant what I said. I should never have abandoned Care. If you're her family, that means I should have been there for you and Lizzie, too. You can call me if you need help again, ok?"

Hope looked at the older witch and was filled with the same sense of doubt as her friend. Still, it was a beautiful lie. "That's a really nice thing to say. Thank you – and thank you for tonight. We couldn't have done it without you."

"Yeah, of course…" she trailed off again, awkwardly shifting her weight from foot to foot, unsure what to say. She finally settled on, "Take care of yourself, ok? And Care?"

"Always and forever." It was a promise, a vow, that included Caroline Forbes. Bonnie smiled at her before slowly walking off. It was nice to have an ally, but she had her family now. They would work it out… somehow.

Alone in the forest, Hope took her time walking back to the Mikaelson Mansion. By the time she arrived, Caroline had long since showered and checked in with her daughter, Josie. Lizzie wasn't speaking to her, not that that came as a surprise. She greeted her friends with a cup of tea, which she took gratefully. They sat by the fireplace, magic igniting the small flames as they sat side by side on the plush sofa. _Death will be the remains of the day. _

"What was it that Jorlena told you in the Dolomites?" Hope asked, finally breaking the silence as the logs crackled in the background. The vampire turned to her quizzically. "About my dad's not being done or something?" She made a face as she struggled to piece together a puzzle that didn't fit.

Caroline frowned as she thought back on that brutal day. "She said he contained pure evil, but magic always has a reason. She said his role had only just begun."

"What did she mean by that?"

She sighed, frustrated that so many questions were still unanswered. "I asked her, but time was running out, and I needed to know about the twins." She could see the wheels turning in her young friend's head. "What are you thinking?"

_What _was_ she thinking? _A lot of things. Too many. Not enough. Never enough. "What if… what if it's all connected?"

"Connected how?"

"I don't know." Hope shook her head, her thoughts across town with Lizzie. "But I mean, you're there in the mountains talking to some ancient witch, and she just so _happens_ to mention my dad? What if bringing him back has something to do with stopping The Merge? I mean, it's not impossible, right?"

"If there's anything I've learned in Mystic Falls, it's that _nothing _is impossible," Caroline snorted. "I was born a normal kid to a normal family, and now look at me. I'm forever seventeen, the undead mother of two siphoner witches, a vampire-turned-human's widow. I opened a school for the supernaturally gifted and am best friends with the tribrid daughter of the dead man I'm in love with and determined to bring back from whatever hell he's stuck in."

"I think I might have an idea about that," Hope mused thoughtfully. Caroline's sapphire eyes shot to her, a glimmer of hope in them for the first time in a long time. "Everything keeps coming back to Egypt. The Urn. Landon being a firebird descended from an ancient deity. We have the ash of the dead, but now we have the ash of the living. Well, sort of," she frowned, thinking of how the white powder blew away into nothing. "It all boils down to Egypt. I think if there are any answers to be found, that's where they'll be."

The mother groaned and ran her fingers through her damp curls, fatigue and remorse chilling her to the bone despite the warmth of the flames and the suede cushions molding to her aching muscles. The air smelled of smoke and cedar, of home, of _him._ Sitting by Klaus' fireplace had always brough her comfort; now it made her feel alone. "I guess I'd better break out the passport," she said with a resigned sigh, eyes drooping. "But I think I'll look for it tomorrow. Let's get some sleep."

Hope shook her head sadly as she got up from the couch. "Miles to go, Care. Miles to go."

The blonde jumped to her feet, maternal instincts kicking in. "Seriously?! You can't possibly be thinking of going to see Lizzie tonight. She's a mess. _You're _a mess." The redhead turned to her and she just looked so _broken. _Caroline sighed and took the younger girl in her arms, wrapping her up in a tight hug. There was no point trying to deter a Mikaelson. Instead, she held Hope in her arms until he sobs subsided, gently rubbing her back in small circles like she had when Klaus had died, when they'd comforted each other, when their partnership began.

Long moments passed before Hope finally broke away. "I need to see her, Care. I'm gonna hit the shower and then head over there. Please don't try and stop me, ok?"

"I won't," she promised, "but she's going to need some time. A lot has happened for one night."

Hope nodded on her way up the massive marble staircase. She stood beneath the water until all the filth and grime left her body, swirling down the drain in a mass of blood and desperation. When the world wasn't upside down, Lizzie and their friends stayed at the Mikaelson mansion. It didn't take her tribrid senses to know that her girlfriend was across town at the Salvatore School and not in the house. With Alaric gone, it was a better alternative than staying with the woman who'd betrayed her.

"I had a feeling you'd come," Lizzie said quietly. She was sitting in front of the living room fireplace, an untouched cup of lukewarm tea in her hand. She stared numbly at the hearth, slowly rocking back and forth. It had been one hell of a day.

"You know me," Hope commented with a dry chuckle as she closed the door behind her.

Without looking forward, the blonde continued staring blankly at the dancing flames that brought no comfort in the cool October air. "I thought I did."

Hope's gut twisted at the silent admission, but she couldn't argue; Lizzie was right. She'd kept so many things from her over the years, secrets that weren't hers to keep. It had all been done for her own safety, but shouldn't that have been Lizzie's decision? Hadn't she and Josie both had a right to know they'd been fated to battle to the death when they came of age? It had made sense to keep her in the dark before seeing the look of betrayal written all over her face as she sat there bound and human. Now, everything seemed so much more… complicated.

The tribrid resignedly sat down in the opposing rocker and moved to take her lover's hand, gulping down the lump in her throat when Lizzie pulled away without looking at her. "Baby, there are some things you should know."

"Josie told me everything." Her voice was mechanical and held none of the fire that any of them were used to. _She was numb. _No, not numb. _Human. _For the first time in her life, Lizzie's emotions weren't on overdrive. There was no screaming, no crying, no magically throwing girlfriends out of windows. There was just… her. An eighteen-year-old girl with a broken heart and no idea who she was beyond the madness that had consumed her since birth. When she finally turned to Hope, there was nothing left of who she'd been before… this. "Which is more than I can say for you."

"Lizzie, I-"

"Don't." The blonde cut her off, shaking her head in grim determination. "I know why you and my mom did what you did, and I can't say I'd have done any differently if it had been you. And that's kind of the problem, you know? Everybody makes choices for everyone else. Your dad died for you when you never asked him to. You were ready to die so that your family could be together. Nobody asked how _you _felt about the whole thing."

Hope looked away to swipe at a stray tear but didn't interrupt. "Not even me." The tribrid looked up at her in surprise. "I know Jo and I were just kids, but we knew what we were doing. We knew our mom was full of shit when she said they found a way to bind the Hollow if it was back in an Original. We knew he was going to kill himself to save you."

"But you did it anyway," the orphan choked out. It was a revelation, a secret revealed on this day of secrets. The twins _had _been young, barely even teenagers, when they'd siphoned the magic out of her. Caroline had always maintained that no one had told them the full extent of the plan, which was true, apparently. It sickened her to think her closest friends had known all along that they were condemning her to a life without a father, but it sickened her more that she'd just done the same thing.

"_We _did it, me and Jo. We had a big debate about whether or not we should tell you, but you know who won that one?" The broken tribrid looked over at the human with a knot in her chest, an ache that grew word by word. "_I _did. I wouldn't let her tell you because I didn't want you to die, and you would have. You'd have died and I'd have been alone, and I was selfish, and I was secretive, and I don't care because it meant I got to keep you. So, yeah, I know why you did what you did because I did the same thing. And you know what?"

Lizzie turned in the rocker to stare at her partner, eye to eye, no more lies. "I'd do it again."

They held each other's gaze as the fire crackled between them, casting an ominous glow across their faces as their lies ran out. "Me too."

And there it was. The truth. The _real _truth. They were the same, Hope and Lizzie. They didn't play by the rules because human rules did not apply. They did what they had to do, and nothing would change the next time around. And there would be a next time because The Merge would come. Maybe that was the problem. They always looked ahead to the next crisis while the biggest disaster of Hope's life remained unresolved. She thought about Egypt, about her father, about Caroline. How he'd died for her and how they'd sworn to bring him back. And how they hadn't. The Gemini problem was contained for the time being; they'd bought themselves four more years and enlisted the help of the Mikaelson witches. Maybe there was time for something else.

"So, where does that leave us?" Hope asked in a breath above a whisper.

Lizzie pulled her eyes away and stared back at the blazing hearth. Orange and red danced along the blackened logs, grey spirals swirling up the stone chimney. With a small shrug, she replied, "I don't know."

Hope looked up, willing the tears not to fall; she had to be strong. "I love you."

"I love you, too," the twin replied without hesitation. "I just don't know if that's enough anymore. I think I just need some time."

Hope swallowed hard as she nodded her understanding. She got up and kissed her lover on the cheek, chest aching when Lizzie leaned into her gentle touch. "Take all the time you need."

Without another word, she was out the door. She hadn't slept in days, but sleep would not come tonight. She drove around her tiny town for hours, thinking things over. As always, she had to make a decision, but this time, it was her own. She could stay and try to fix things with Lizzie, but the teenager had said she needed time. Hope hadn't respected her wishes enough to even ask what her choice would have been. Lizzie hadn't asked her how she felt about losing her father. That's what they did. They made choices. It was time to stop living for everyone else and choose her own path. As the sun rose over the horizon, she'd made up her mind.

When Caroline woke up the next morning, Hope's passport and suitcase were gone.

* * *

A/N Fuuuuuck that was a killer. I swear to you, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In our next chapter, we're going to get some real answers about Klaus. Keep the faith. And please let me know what you think!


	16. Redemption Doesn't Fall Down at Your Fee

A/N Hello my lovelies! I'm back with another chapter in our saga. Thank you so much to those of you along with me on this crazy ride. I'm happy to say that I have _finally_ figured out the final piece of the puzzle. Updates should come pretty regularly. I'm planning eight more chapters and an epilogue (that I wrote six months ago.) This update is coming to you courtesy of Klaroline Bingo utilizing the prompt, "dagger." If you're not following me on tumblr, pop over and check out the sneak peaks and aesthetics! Please let me know what you think. Reviews and comments are my best motivators!

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen – Redemption Doesn't Fall Down at Your Feet**

**Tokyo, Japan, 2025**

Urban Japan was _not _the happiest place on earth. The traffic and the smog did little to soothe the hybrid as he anxiously drove the short distance to the airport. He'd been in the country for little over a week hunting down a rouge pack of vampires he was convinced were conspiring against Elijah. Most of his enemies were simply loose ends who had no intention of tracking down the Original brother, but in this case, Klaus' paranoia had been correct. He'd walked in on a dozen Japanese vampires, the leader of whom had lost his mother to one of the hybrid's temper tantrums in the 15th century, throwing darts at a map of Manosque, the small town in the French countryside Elijah now called home.

In less than a minute, they were dead. Upon further inspection of the house, Klaus found an old man chained up in the basement with enchanted cuffs to prevent him escaping with magic. Ryusei Watanabe was an elder witch in his coven. He'd been kidnapped and held hostage for months while the vampires plotted to trap Elijah's soul in a mystical blade; he was more than grateful for the rescue. The only reason he was still alive was that his captors were yet to find a vessel strong enough to dispose of the Original, and they were convinced a knife would never hold him. That had piqued Klaus' interest enough that he held off on dining on the man long enough to call Caroline.

She'd booked a flight the next day.

"I promised you Tokyo, didn't I?" Klaus teased with a smirk when he met her at the gate.

"Took you long enough," she joked, wrapping his arms around him at the baggage claim. He immediately pulled her to him for a searing kiss. It was their first time meeting overseas in eight months. It had been easy to take a break from the school over the summer when they'd gone to Cairo, but in February, it was significantly harder. His weekend trips to Richmond here and there just never felt like enough, but the girls were getting older, and it was getting harder to leave them alone with Alaric for long periods of time. Still, she'd managed to set aside three weeks with Klaus for their latest expeditions. Although, based on the way his tongue was exploring the inside of her throat, it was clear he had other plans.

Caroline always preferred when they made it to the hotel _before _she lost her shirt, but she wasn't complaining when it went sailing into the backseat of his rented Porsche 911 Turbo. "I'll buy you a new one," he growled against her lips as he tore the flimsy chiffon to threads and set to work unbuttoning her jeans. He smirked at how wet she was already when he dipped a finger between her folds and brought it to his lips, eyes flashing hybrid. "You've missed me." She blushed, nodding her head as she fumbled with his belt. He pulled her hands away and ripped away the leather, binding her hands behind her bare back. He grabbed her roughly and shoved her face towards his waiting shaft.

Klaus groaned when her mouth crashed down on his cock, his fist in her curls holding her in place as she bobbed up and down. "Fuck, I missed your mouth," he moaned, tugging at her hair and making her jump at the sharp pain. He pulled the belt tighter around her wrists; the smell of her arousal filled the air. "Spread your legs," he commanded, a dominate edge to his tone. She obeyed immediately, doing her best to bare herself to him in the tiny car. His hand dipped down the curves of her ass, dragging his nails down the back of her folds before dipping between her slick lips to circle her slippery bud. Her throat clenched around his head when he just barely teased her entrance with one finger. The vibrations of her moan sent shivers down his spine as he pressed inside her warm channel, slowly pushing his finger in and out while she bobbed up and down in his lap.

Caroline's eyes flitted shut as she gave herself over to him, her body turning to jelly as he fucked her mouth hard and fast. He added a second finger and she strained against the belt, groaning when he stilled. "None of that," he chided teasingly, tugging at the leather binding her hands. She looked up at him reproachfully and graphically ran her tongue up his shaft. He smirked and pushed her further down, cock twitching at the way her pussy tightened. It was good to be king. He may have lost his city, and his family, but he gained a queen. Feeling generous, he resumed a rough pace and circled her glistening pearl with his thumb. "Come for me, sweetheart." The eternal teenager arched her back as a powerful orgasm washed over her, throat tightening around his wide girth as he moved inside of her in a punishing rhythm to help her ride out her high.

As soon as the vampire's chest stopped heaving, the Original pulled her to his lap and dropped the seat as far back as it would go. Holding the belt firmly to keep her in place, he positioned himself at her entrance and teased her opening with his head. "I've missed you, sweetheart," he said with hungry eyes as dark veins erupted below his glowing yellow orbs. "Did you miss me?"

"You have no idea," she squeaked as he harshly pinched and twisted a nipple.

"Then show me." With a smirk, he tied to belt to the steering wheel and put his hands behind his head to watch her go. Her supple breasts bounced up and down as she rode his cock in the tiny sports car with the top down. His eyes were fixated on her, but she couldn't help but look around. Noticing a woman approaching from about fifty feet away, she fell forward, burying her face in Klaus' soft olive drab Henley. The hybrid peered over his shoulder; a wicked smirk lit up his face. "Best keep quiet, love."

Caroline looked up at him with wide eyes when his thumb rubbed her clit as he slammed up into her; he knew she was a screamer. "Klaus..." she whimpered, nearly biting through her lower lip to keep quiet. He grinned mischievously as he doubled his efforts, making her cry out and bury her face in his shoulder. With her neck just below his mouth, he couldn't resist sinking his double fangs into her soft skin. The sharp pain of the venom pushed her over the edge. She fiercely rode him up and down; he barely glimpsed her vampire features before she tore into his throat, drinking deeply of his blood as he shot burst after burst into her hot core. Despite her best efforts, the blonde screamed when a second wave washed over her as she coated his shaft in sticky release.

Klaus chuckled when the woman looked to see where the sound had originated, but he pulled his lover down so they would remain unseen. They had forever for him to teach her the joys of sexual liberation. There was no rush.

An hour later, they were showered and leaving the Tokyo Imperial Hotel's top floor. Klaus never could resist the urge to spoil her. He smiled at her with his dimples, taking her hand as her eyes widened at their lavish surroundings. The capital of Japan was rife with beautiful architecture and history, but she was never comfortable in big cities. As they drove into the rural countryside, Caroline began to feel more and more at ease. "So, what can you tell me about this Ryusei guy?" she asked as she attempted to tame her wild golden curls as they whipped in the winter wind. Klaus liked to drive fast.

"I can tell you I saved his life," the hybrid declared proudly. There weren't many things he had to be proud of, but if there was anything Caroline could appreciate, it was that. She smiled at him, a gesture he returned. "Tell me, love, did you read up about tsukumogami?" Klaus asked with a smirk, already knowing the answer.

The educator sat up straight and recited as if from a textbook, "In Japanese folklore, tsukumogami are tools that have acquired a kami, or spirit. A tsukumogami can be anything, like a doll or a totem, but the most common is a weapon."

"Very good," the hybrid replied approvingly, earning him a bright smile. "In this case, we are following tradition. Ryusei is in possession of a dagger containing the kami of one of his ancestors."

"And you really think he's just going to give it to us, no questions asked?" Her tone was skeptical as she eyed him shrewdly.

"I saved his life, sweetheart," he said just a tad defensively. "He was very grateful. The vampires had been holding him captive for months. He went to a lot of trouble to get it back from where it had been hidden. I am capable of making friends, you know."

Caroline felt a pang of guilt flow through her; she knew how lonely he was. Klaus Mikaelson didn't make friends. For him to refer to Ryusei as such was undeniable progress. She hadn't asked how or why he'd ended up in Japan surrounded by his enemies. Truth be told, she didn't want to know. She never forgot what kind of man, of monster, he was. Her memories of what he'd done to her friends were always in the background of her mind, but she'd moved passed them. That would be harder if she started to pry into what he did when they were apart. When they were together, he was just a man in love with a girl. That was how she saw him, how she judged him. They were all monsters, herself included. What mattered was the part of him she knew could love, and anyone capable of love was capable of being saved.

"I know." She offered up a smile and took his hand. "I mean, you won me over, right?"

"Once you finally came to your senses," he teased with a smirk that earned him an eyeroll. Her gaze fell on the fields of rice in the Japanese countryside. There was a simple beauty about it that made her smile happily as they drove through the country, the smell of sweet earth filling her nostrils. "This is it."

A kindly looking old Japanese man was waiting outside a small cottage that had clearly withstood the sands of time, probably by magic. It had a pointed red roof and was made of bamboo and stone and was flanked on all sides by cherry blossoms in full bloom, pink petals covering the bright green grass. In the gently falling snow, she knew it had to be magic; it delighted her. "Klaus," he greeted, bowing slightly, a gesture the blonde and hybrid returned politely. "You must be Caroline. Please, do come in."

"It's lovely to meet you. Thank you for inviting us into your home," she answered as she crossed over the magical threshold that would have barred them if not for the invitation.

"I owe your boyfriend a debt. He saved my life. It is my honor to return the favor with something as simple as an old relic. More trouble than it's worth, if you ask me." Bustling about, he boiled water on a small stove and poured it into a simple pitcher with hand-painted flowers. "Tea?" he offered politely, gesturing for them to sit on the pillows on the floor beside a short table. Caroline pulled herself from the artwork she'd been admiring and sat down, one leg crossed over the other as she accepted a small cup of steaming liquid. "It is an old recipe called Hachijuhachiya Sencha. We harvest the sencha leaves on the 88th day of spring. Eight is a holy number in Japan and this is said to bring the drinker protection and long life, although I suppose you already have that. It may be a tad bitter, but it is very good for you." When she made a face, Klaus and Ryusei tried to bite back a laugh. "Honey?"

"Yes, please," she replied quickly. Taking the small pot, she eagerly sweetened the burning liquid.

Klaus smirked at her as he sipped his tea. He'd traveled the world a hundred times over; there was nothing he hadn't tried. He let it flow over his pallet and tasted crisp flower buds combined with the green tea leaves. "That's a nice touch with the peach blossoms. Offsets the taste of the cypress and cumin nicely."

"You have a very refined pallet," the witch nodded, impressed. "But you did not come here for the tea. I believe I have what you are looking for." He reached into the pocket of his navy-blue kimono and pulled out a small dagger encased in a sheath engraved with mystical Japanese characters. "It contains the spirit of Aku, my ancestor. It is said he gave in to Expression magic, as you would call it, and tried to consume the power of the entire coven for himself. The survivors were able to bind his soul to this blade, where he resides to this day."

Caroline reached out her hand to take the knife, but Klaus beat her to it. "And how does one free up the dagger to house a different spirit?"

"If you take off the sheath, you will see words carved into the blade. You must recite them and drive the words deep into the person you wish to house the spirit, but I do not suggest doing that unless you have a vessel strong enough to contain Aku without losing himself in the process. Soul transfer is very dangerous," he warned, frowning.

The hybrid set the leather case aside and examined the stick-like characters closely. The blade was dulled by time, but the figures were crisp and clear. "Forgive me – my Japanese is a bit rusty. Is it, '_Akuma, wataba wa anata o dashimasu_?'"

Ryusei smiled kindly. "Close, but not quite. It is, '_Akuma, _watashi _wa anata o dashimasu.'_"

"_Akuma, watashi wa anata o dashimasu?_" Klaus repeated, eyeing the man shrewdly. The witch nodded his approval, but Caroline felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the cold and calculating gaze illuminating his humorless smile. She shot her lover a warning glance, but she was too late. In the blink of an eye, he flicked his wrist and carelessly tossed the blade in the old man's stomach.

"Damnit, Klaus!" she shouted, flashing to Ryusei's side and biting into her wrist as she extracted the dagger. "Here, drink. It'll heal you." Wincing in pain, he leaned forward to sip at the bite.

"What have you done?" the witch gasped, wide eyed as his wound slowly knit itself back together, Caroline's magical blood dribbling down his chin. "You would release Aku into me? Why?" The betrayal was apparent in his mournful tone; it made her heart clench in her chest. Some things never changed. "I invited you and your girlfriend into my home to help her children. I-I was kind to you!"

"It's quite simple, really," Klaus replied as though it was an obvious answer. "Caroline is the love of my life, and her daughters are in danger. We may need that dagger on day, and if there's anything I've learned, it's that the last thing we need is our lives is _another _vengeful witch in Mystic Falls." Ryusei stared at him, shocked and saddened. "Oh, don't look at me like that. You look okay to me." He frowned, picking up the bloody blade from the low table and wiping it off on his Henley. "Perhaps you weren't as strong as I'd anticipated."

"Or maybe not everyone is capable of evil," Caroline countered with a pointed glare. Klaus felt the weight of his actions weigh heavily in his chest; he looked away, unable to face her.

"Well, no harm done," he said as he turned his back. "I'd say our work here is done. Thanks for the knife, mate."

Once he was out of sight, the forever teenager turned apologetically to the witch. "I'm so sorry, Ryusei. I had no idea he was going to do that. Are you sure you're okay?"

He nodded his head, accepting her help to get to his feet. "It was the tea," he said sagely. "Cumin is also used for exorcism." He patted her hand as she walked him to his bedroom, laying down on the bed, exhausted. "You're a kind soul. You do not belong with that monster."

Caroline smiled sadly as she tucked him in, pulling the string on his bamboo table lamp as the sun set over the horizon. His window had a beautiful view, and it made her long for the simple life. A life free of vampires and witches that didn't stay dead. But that wasn't her life, not anymore. As much as she hated the darkness in him, Klaus was part of her life, too. Loving him meant loving both the man and the monster. Part of her wasn't even surprised; it was just the kind of thing he did. In a strange way, she was grateful he would always be there to be the bad guy because it meant she didn't have to be.

"We're all monsters," she finally replied, squeezing his hand. "Thank you for your kindness."

"Take care of your little ones." Ryusei's eyes began to close as she made her way to the door. Nodding at him one last time, she closed it behind her and walked to the car.

Caroline inhaled the fragrance of cherry blossoms as she tried to clear her mind. She shouldn't have been surprised, and in a way, she wasn't. She'd looked him in the eye and screamed that she loved him for the first time high in the Alps, both of their undead bodies drenched in the blood of their enemies. She knew what kind of man he was, but she loved him anyway. He'd made a lot of terrible decisions, but most of them were in the defense of someone he loved. He would kill and die for her, that she knew. But now she also knew he would do the same for her children. She didn't like his methods, but she'd once killed twelve witches to save her best friend; it left little room for judgment. He wasn't a saint, but he loved her.

Klaus was there waiting for her, a reproachful expression on his face. "Don't give me the puppy dog eyes. I'm mad at you."

The hybrid sighed, his gaze straight forward as he put the car in reverse. "Fair enough." If there was anything he knew about, it was the people he loved being mad at him, but the fact that she'd gotten in the car boded well for him. Still, he felts the pangs of insecurity ripping at him the longer she remained silent. As they drove through the Japanese countryside, he couldn't keep his eyes from darting to her profile as she stared out the window. She was right next to him, but she looked so far away. His did his best to keep his breathing even, thinking back on how boldly she'd proclaimed her love in the Dolomites. It was a struggle, but he forced himself to wait her out.

As they approached the city, Caroline finally looked over and saw the tension in his jaw, the whitening of his knuckles as he gripped the steering wheel. _He was afraid of losing her. _Huffing, she rolled her eyes and stared at him, unamused. When was he going to get it through his head that she wasn't going anywhere? He tentatively reached over and gently took her hand. After a brief moment, she returned his light squeeze with a harder one of her own. When she didn't let go, the relief in his eyes was palpable.

Giving him a stern look, she said firmly, "Don't hurt people when you don't have to."

A small smirk curled his upper lip. "Old habit, love."

The teenager offered up a saccharine smile, sapphire eyes sparkling in the twilight. "Learn a new one."

As they pulled in to the hotel, he locked his gaze on hers, eyes darkening as the temperature between them rose. "What do you suggest?"

Caroline subconsciously rubbed her thighs together; being mad at him wasn't going to last. "Ask me again after you buy me dinner."

"How about room service?"

"How about a restaurant," she finished firmly, opening the car door. She exhaled a deep breath and tried to collect herself as she walked away. Klaus Mikaelson oozed sex appeal. She distinctly remembered being a baby vampire and thinking that man could eye fuck the furniture. It was tempting to follow him back to their room, but she didn't want makeup sex... at least, not just yet. He'd promised to show her the world, and she'd be damned if all she saw was the inside of the hotel room.

The Imperial Hotel had a dozen different dining options, but the young girl knew she was underdressed for most of them in her heavy jeans and fuzzy lemon cowlneck sweater. Looking over the descriptions of the traditional Japanese dishes in many of the restaurant, she quickly settled on the Parkside Diner. She was seriously not interested in eating fish prostate and horse meat.

Klaus steered the waiter towards the largest red velvet booth in the diner. Once they were there, he sat way too close to his date, enjoying the way her body heat seeped into his. He wore an amused smirk as she eyed the western menu happily with a relieved expression, but wisely said nothing. "I'll have the mac 'n cheese with shrimp, please," she ordered politely.

"Extra cheese," he added with a wink at the blonde before ordering a burger.

"You know me well," she commented, a slight blush to her cheeks at his knowledge of her childish noodle preferences. They were a thousand years apart, but he'd once told her she'd have to adjust her perception of time. He'd been right. The more she aged without aging, the easier it was to forget the centuries between them.

When the waiter refused to serve her alcohol, she remembered. "You can do something about that, you know," the hybrid teased, eyes briefly flashing gold.

"No," she scolded him firmly. "Just because I _can _compel the humans doesn't mean I s_hould._"

Klaus smiled slightly as she sipped her diet soda, knocking back a shot of Japanese whiskey. "Perhaps one day I'll be able to teach you to embrace your gifts. We are the apex predator, sweetheart. Why have our abilities if not to use them?"

Caroline eyed him shrewdly. "Weren't most of our gifts an accident?"

The hybrid scoffed. "With the Original witch casting the spell, we may never know."

The eternal youth's heart panged at the mention of mothers. She still missed her own, as she missed her daughters. She'd only been away from them for a couple of days, but she worried about them anyway. It was a mother's job to worry for her children. She'd been lucky to have a wonderful one of her own; it made her sad that her boyfriend hadn't. "Do you ever miss her?" Klaus looked at her strangely, wondering if it was a joke. Rolling her eyes, she qualified, "I mean when you were human. Like, the mom she was before shit went crazy."

Klaus chewed the inside of his cheek as he thought about it. The arrival of their food bought him a reprieve. It wasn't until his burger was halfway gone that he finally answered. "I suppose I miss who I thought she was when I was human. I didn't hate her until I knew the truth of my father. I think my story would have been quite different had I been raised by Ansel. Perhaps I'd be a better one to my own child."

Caroline set down her fork and gently placed her hand on his upper thigh beneath the table. "You do the best you can."

Downing a second shot of whiskey, he nodded. He knew it was a lie, but she didn't. As much as he trusted and loved her, he'd never been able to bring himself to tell her that the best thing he'd ever done for his daughter was free her from the truth of her name. She'd enrolled at the Salvatore as Hope Marshall; he hadn't objected. Being a Mikaelson had brought her so much pain, so much loss, that he knew she was better off without him, especially after seeing him for the monster he truly was. The last image he had of her was the look on her face when she'd seen his covered in the blood of his enemies. Letting her change her name and start a new life without him _was _his best.

"How is she?" he asked quietly, unable to stop himself from wondering.

Caroline took a bite of her mikan cheesecake, relishing the light citrus taste of rich cream. It hurt her that Klaus couldn't see his daughter, but she was grateful to be there in his stead. They shared a special bond, although Hope didn't know her favorite educator was in love with her father. At least, she hadn't told her, hadn't told anybody. Sometimes, she suspected the teenager knew. "She's thirteen. It's a hard age, but she's doing better than most. Her grades are fantastic, of course. Good genes," she joked, bumping her hip with his. "She and Lizzie are inseparable. Josie's been spending a ton of time with another girl, Penelope, but they're close, too. She and Lizzie just seem to click really well. Like, Hope gets it when Lizzie goes off."

"How bad are her episodes?" he asked, concern evident in his tone.

"Oh, they're nothing like they were. She almost never sets anything on fire anymore," she said proudly. Supernatural life was strange; human rules did not apply. "Still, her temper gets her into trouble, especially with Ric. His drinking doesn't help, either. I'm glad she has Hope. They go off and Lizzie always comes back feeling better. They like hanging out at that old mill. Pretty sure your daughter can get to the top in about three seconds."

"She'll get faster," he replied flippantly, handing over his credit card. "Hasn't triggered her curse yet."

Caroline gaped at him. "Let's hope she never does!"

Klaus shrugged. She was still his daughter, after all. Murder was inevitable. "Of course, I don't want that burden on her conscience, but I'm also a realist. Most wolves take a life eventually. And we still don't know if she's immortal. An eternity is an awfully long time."

The vampire frowned, knowing he had a point. "I don't know how I feel about that. Her being immortal, I mean."

"Why wouldn't you want her to be?" he asked, confused.

Setting her purse down on the bedside table, she shrugged. "I guess there's just a lot we still don't know, like if she can have kids of her own. She's too young for that to matter, obviously, but I'd like it if she has the option. And it should be her choice if she wants to be immortal. We didn't get that. I know you love being a hybrid-"

"As you love being a vampire."

"-but it isn't something I would have chosen."

"And yet when the cure becomes available, you won't take it," he said confidently, smirking. "Or, has that changed?"

"No," she laughed. "I didn't grow up until I died. I'm glad you weren't around to see it." She grimaced as she thought back on a younger version of herself, a shallow one. Kiddie pool Caroline. "I was a terrible human."

"I don't think that's changed," an eerie voice came from the closet. She looked over and saw Ryusei emerge from the darkness, but she instinctively knew he wasn't the kind old man she'd met earlier in the day. There was a menacing aura surrounding his small frame that radiated power. Dark power. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Klaus growled deep in the back of his throat as he stood protectively in front of the love of his life. "You pretend to be humane, yet here you are alone with a murderer. You are not good. You are not kind. You deserve to suffer as you make others suffer. You both do, and you will. Although, I suppose I should thank you first." His voice was ice. His face was stone. The air chilled as fear began to overwhelm her, but the hybrid remained resolute in his rage.

"You aren't Ryusei," Klaus snarled, eyes flashing gold as black bled down his sculped cheekbones.

"No, I'm not," the witch chuckled. "I am Aku, courtesy of your recklessness. He was stronger than he looked, smarter, too. That fool added the cumin for your visit, but herbs can hold a man like me only so long. It was only too easy to overcome what remained of his strength, and now, this body is my own." A jagged line formed his mouth as he leered at her. "And the first thing I plan to do with it is have my way with you, vampire yūjo."

Recognizing the word for harlot, the Original surged forward and pinned the witch to the wall, fingers tightening around his neck. His tone was casual as he taunted the witch, "I can pluck out your eyes, or I can remove your tongue. Which would you prefer?"

The Japanese man's face morphed into an evil smile as pain brought Klaus to his knees. Caroline jumped up, but a magical force threw her back flat on the bed, wrists and ankles bound by invisible tendrils of darkness that held her immobilized as her lover suffered. "I'll get to you yet, little one," he said with a lecherous grin, "but first, I think I'd like to have a taste of this one." Her sapphire eyes widened as the witch held his fingertips to Klaus' head; they began to glow.

"You're a siphon," she whispered shakily, terror filling her.

Aku's dark laughter filled the space between them. "A pleasant gift I enjoyed in my former life, albeit a nuisance. How wonderful that it came back when this bastard drove the words deep into poor Ryusei. And now, I have his magic, too. I never was strong enough to produce enough of my own to control what you fools call Expression. That has changed. Soon enough, yours will be mine as well." Visions of Kai Parker and the way he could drain a vampire to the point of death filled her mind; her body trembled. Klaus ripped at the man's hands, his nails vicious razors as he tore apart withered flesh. The witch winced as blood rained down his wrists, but he didn't let go. "I sense this monster is more resilient. I will desiccate this one enough to use him for a little boost here and there."

White pain electrified Klaus' body as agony flowed through his muscles, and he could feel his strength draining as he was forced to kneel before his enemy, a feeling he knew all too well. However, unlike when he bowed to Lucien Castle, his brother and sister were oceans away; there would be no heroic rescue tonight. His wolf clawed for release as Caroline lay helpless. He could feel himself succumbing to the wicked torture, but he would not give up. Yellow bled from his irises even as the air left his lungs; his veins began to blacken. If there was anything he hated more than desiccation, it was the feeling of utter helplessness that enveloped him as blood froze in his veins.

And that's when he remembered. Remembered who he was. _What _he was. He was the Original hybrid, half man, half wolf, and wolves did not desiccate. Bracing himself for darker pain, he allowed the first of his bones to break. The vicious cracks echoed through the room; it was a relief to the trapped vampire. Klaus was coming, and even in his wolf form, she knew he would never harm her. He was coming to _save _her.

Those hopes died in her chest when otherworldly screams filled the air. "You are as foolish as you are arrogant," the witch snarled, the light from his fingers spreading to his wrists when razor fangs dug into his thumb. "Your true form only strengthens me, so go on, monster. Show yourself!"

In a valiant effort, Klaus' beast sprang to life, his transition complete. Aku fell to his back when the wolf pounced on his chest, snapping powerful jaws in his face. A forearm guarded the witch's face; a howl erupted when fangs sunk into his stolen flesh. Caroline felt the bindings loosen as the magic began to fade. She sat up and took in the sight of her lover's beast. He was a beautiful sandy blonde and radiated strength. His snarls should have terrified her, but she found them calming. His silky fur shone in the dim light of the hotel room, muscles rippling as he tried in vain to get to the witch's neck. He fought with everything that he had, but once again, his flesh began to glow, pain searing him enough to retract his teeth.

Even the power of the wolf wasn't enough to subdue the evil draining the immortal's energy. Caroline watched in horror as her lover's body twitched in agony, her eternal savior crumbling before her eyes. Flicking his red gaze to her, Aku again pinned her to the bed, the spell growing more powerful as he stole the life from the animal attacking him. The snarls slowly receded, replaced by whimpering as the wolf's legs gave way.

Releasing the hybrid's head, he laughed as the body rolled off of him, immobilized. Getting to his feet, he kicked at him as his body returned to human form. His skin was cold, his veins black. Consciousness began to leave him; there was nothing he could do but watch the scene unfold. Aku stalked over to the vampire, a predator playing with his prey. "Aren't you a tasty thing?" He glided his finger down her cheek; she snapped at him, eyes glowing red. Paralyzed, the last thing Klaus saw before darkness came was the witch climbing on top of the love of his life.

* * *

**Abydos, Egypt, December 24, 2034**

"I wondered if I'd hear from you today. I missed you on Thanksgiving."

It amazed Hope how Caroline could still sound judgmental an ocean away. "That's an American holiday," the tribrid pointed out tiredly. "I haven't been there in years."

"It's still your home," the blonde teenager reminded her best friend with a sigh. They'd been over this time and again since Hope had gotten on a plane and left their tiny Virginia town without so much as a goodbye. "Pen and Jo miss you, Raf and MG, too. Landon misses you. _I _miss you. Come back to Mystic Falls, Hope. This is where you belong." After a beat of silence, she added softly, "Lizzie misses you."

The tribrid's heart clenched at the sound of her ex-girlfriend's name. They'd been in touch sporadically since Hope and Caroline had stolen her magic, but they were far from back together. Perhaps they never would be. It occurred to Hope on a regular basis that they never should have been together in the first place because she never should have _been. _Her birth had been an accident – or a miracle, depending on the source. Vampires weren't meant to procreate; she shouldn't have existed to bind Lizzie's magic in the first place. But she did exist, and her family had paid the ultimate price to ensure she'd be able to live that miraculous life. The last two years had been spent trying to correct that mistake – the mistake of Hope Mikaelson.

"I belong with my father. I'll come home when he does."

Caroline rested her head back against the glass window of her bedroom in the mansion that had once belonged to the love of her life. Snow was gently falling from dark grey clouds, the promise of a white Christmas in the air for the first time in years. Snow in Mystic Falls always reminded her of Klaus, and the snowflake he'd painted. _An expression of postmodernism_, he'd called it. She stared sadly at it as it hung innocently over the roaring hearth. She knew there was no point arguing with his daughter; she was too like her father. Instead, she'd offered whatever support she could down the long-distance line. Tonight would be no different. "How's Cairo?"

"I'm not in, Cairo," the redhead replied. "I'm in Abydos."

"Again with that?" the forever teenager groaned, dragging her fingers through her tangled curls. "You're wasting your time. Those stupid villain wannabes were very clear that the tomb of Osiris was never there."

"I know." Hope rolled her eyes, already tired of this. "I just can't stop feeling like we missed something."

"What you _miss _is your family," Caroline said firmly. "And we miss you. Come home, if not to stay, then at least for the holidays."

Hope shook her head; calling had been a mistake. It's why she hadn't answered in months. "I'm not ready to come back yet, Care. It's too soon."

"It's been years," she countered, exhausted of the same conversation call after call. "How long are you going to punish yourself for this? We did what we had to do. Lizzie understands that now, which you would know if you picked up the phone once in a while."

The former siphon had been reaching out; it was true, but their calls never went anywhere. Sometimes they fought; sometimes they didn't. They'd talked about the past, and while they'd forgiven each other for it, they hadn't talked about the future. Hope hadn't gone back to America because Lizzie hadn't asked. Despite Caroline's reassurances, she didn't feel like she had anything to go home _to. _The thought of going back and seeing the woman she loved, but not truly being together, was worse than staying gone. It was easier to run. For better or worse, she was every bit Klaus Mikaelson's daughter. Hayley's, too. She thought of her mother all too often. How she'd given everything so the tribrid could have a beautiful life. She'd died for her, twice, and so far, Hope didn't think she'd been worth the sacrifice. Her Uncle Elijah always spoke of her father's redemption, but this was about hers. She owed it to her father to find him… and bring him home.

"I'll call her tomorrow," Hope promised, idly biting a nail as she sat perched in the reading nook of the hundredth hotel she'd occupied since arriving in Egypt. She watched the sun beginning to set over the Nile and wondered what her ex was having for lunch. She'd been dining on room service for years; it was almost enough to miss her girlfriend's burnt toast and undercooked bacon. Penelope and Lizzie were notoriously terrible cooks and should never have been allowed anywhere near a kitchen. She could almost imagine the smell of all that Caroline would probably already have started cooking for the following day. They'd cooked Christmas dinner together many times, but this year, she wouldn't be there. She had plans. "I know you think there's no point, but I met a witch who can get past the seal on the alleged tomb of Osiris."

"You found a witch from the Aha bloodline?" Caroline asked in surprise. They'd both been trying to track down someone practicing ancestral magic in Egypt since Hope's plane had landed in Heliopolis after the binding, but it had been to no avail. Most covens had moved on to natural magic over the centuries; magic involving specific regions and bloodlines was rare.

"Yep," she confirmed, popping the p. "We're going up tonight to check it out. Her name is Merneith. And don't worry – no affiliation with those museum nuts."

"Thank God for small favors," Caroline snorted, chuckling as she thought back on the worst attempted tomb raiders in history. She and Klaus had had so many good times; it was hard to argue that Hope should come home when she was so grateful the tribrid was out there doing what she couldn't. After Alaric's entombment in Penelope's chambres de chasse, she'd taken over running the Salvatore School. She needed a vacation, but she had a calling. A duty. It was her mission that the next generation not grow up with the warring factions Hope had been born into, the wars that she and her friends had died for. No, this was a time for peace, but that didn't mean her heart didn't ache to be back on the road hunting down answers of her own.

"Yeah, as far as I can tell, your compulsion stuck," Hope said with a silent nod of approval. That had been her favorite of Caroline's many stories about her travels with the hybrid. "Nobody's gone near the Big Void in years. I checked out the Great Pyramid myself and it's just business as usual. Same thing at the museum."

"You should still be careful," the blonde warned sternly, a motherly edge to her tone that made Hope roll her eyes. "Make sure you turn the GPS back on your phone just in case I need to come find you, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll text you my coordinates before I go in." Looking down at her smartwatch, she sighed. It was good to hear her old friend's voice, but time was marching on. "She's meeting me at the car in a few minutes. I'd better run. It was good catching up."

"You should call more often. I miss you."

"Yeah, you, too." A beat passed before she remembered what day it was. "I'll call you tomorrow. Merry Christmas, Care."

A smile warmed the vampire's face; maybe there was hope for the tribrid yet. "Merry Christmas, Hope. Be safe. I love you."

"Love you, too." And she did, love her, and Lizzie, but she loved her father more. The Mikaelsons had once vowed to stand by each other always and forever, and that's exactly what she planned to do. She tucked the phone in the pocket of her dark red jacket, grabbed her knapsack and took the stairs to the parking garage to wait for her companion. Merneith was a spritely little thing with long waves of silky black hair and golden skin with legs that went on for days. Under different circumstances, and had her heart not been across the ocean, Hope might have appreciated the girl's beauty as she sat behind the wheel of the shiny red convertible she'd earned for her assistance.

"'Ahlaan ya jamilatan," the young witch greeted with a wink. Hope smiled politely and pretended not to know she'd just been hit on. "Buckle up."

The tribrid shrieked when the other girl floored it. "Hey!" she shouted to be heard over the wind ripping through her hair, "just because I'm immortal doesn't mean I want to crash!"

"Relax, we aren't going to crash," Merneith waved dismissively as they tore off into the desert. Hope flashed her trbirid eyes; she slowed down. "And here I thought you'd be in a hurry." She laughed easily at Hope's queasy expression; she was far more carefree. It was admirable. Hope had spent her entire life being serious. Maybe there was something to be said for just having fun in a fast car with a hot girl. The Egyptian witch raised a brow at her; the tribrid nodded; she stepped on it.

"I am," she agreed, heart racing as she tried to bite back a smile at the feeling of the sandy air whipping all around them. "But getting your neck broken sucks. Trust me."

"Not even going to ask how you know that, but I assure you, I'm an excellent driver. My girlfriend was quite impressed with my new ride."

Another of Hope's favorite stories of Caroline's was the time her father bought off a Peruvian witch to lead them into the Amazon with a bunch of iPhones. Hopefully whatever she found in Abydos would be more helpful than the cryptic Aymaran prophecy her father and best friend had uncovered so many years ago. _One will live and one will die, while that one's death will bring one life. _She and Caroline had mulled it over for years, but it still didn't make any sense. Putting it from her mind, she turned to the girl beside her.

"You have a girlfriend?" she asked, perking up. The middle east wasn't kind to people like her; it was nice to know she was in good company.

"Surely that doesn't bother an American witch," Merneith teased.

"Wasn't a problem when my girlfriend told me," Hope laughed, enjoying the humor dancing behind the other girl's obsidian eyes.

"So, you have one, too, then?" she asked in her melodic tone. "Is she here with you in Abydos?"

Hope's smile faded as she thought about her ex. "Well, she's not my girlfriend anymore."

The other girl nodded apologetically and patted her thigh comfortingly. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Hating the pitying look, she quickly qualified, "Well, she is, but she isn't." Merneith raised a brow, silently prompting her to continue. It was obvious the tribrid needed to talk. "There was a thing with magic. A spell. It had to be done, like, there was no other choice. But I didn't tell her about it beforehand. I couldn't have. It could have gotten her killed, gotten us all killed." Sighing, she ran her fingers through her hair. "There were a lot of things I didn't tell her."

"And that's why she broke up with you?"

"She didn't exactly break up with me." It was true. Lizzie had asked for time, not for Hope to leave town. She'd done that on her own. Two years later, she still didn't have the courage to return home. Maybe one day it would hurt less. "She asked for time. I was gone the next morning."

"That's not a lot of time," the raven-haired beauty said with a frown as the tomb appeared on the horizon. "Do you still talk to her?"

"She calls, but I don't answer," Hope explained, staring off at the gravesite in the distance. "I just... don't know what to say."

"Perhaps it is better to say something than nothing."

"Yeah, that's what they tell me." Landon called often. She didn't always call back, but when he caught her with phone in hand, she couldn't resist his sweet voice. He'd taken summer classes when the girls had all gone home and was almost ready to graduate with a degree in special needs education. Caroline anxiously awaited his help with the school, and since they now knew he was just as special as any of the students, there was a job waiting for him. He was constantly telling her to come home, but it always inevitably ended the call. She wasn't ready. Not yet.

"I think we're here," Hope deflected, nodding at the ancient burial site. "It looks smaller than I imagined. The cemetery back home goes on for days."

"While it was built around 5,000 years ago, much of the site is still unexplored," the black-eyed girl explained as they walked. "Osiris' alleged tomb actually belonged to a first dynasty king named Djer."

"I read about that. It's likely the early tombs contain kings of the first and second dynasty. Hard to believe they all fit." She frowned as they walked around the tombs.

Merneith smirked at her smugly. "Although not fully excavated by the _humans_, my people know that below this, there are more. A lot more. Including one ancient God's original tomb."

"I hope you're right."

"I know I am," she replied arrogantly, flipping her hair over her shoulder as they ventured down a rickety old ladder. "Starting in the Middle Kingdom, 4,000 to 3,600 years ago, Abydos became a cult center for Osiris, the god of the underworld. Humans from all over the world ventured here hoping to find him, but they never did. Do you know why?" The tribrid shook her head. "About one-kilometer half to the north of the royal tombs is a series of mud brick enclosures dedicated to kings, and in one case a queen," she added with a flirty wink, "believed buried at Abydos. That's where we're going. Oriented northwest to southeast, each enclosure is surrounded by massive walls and contains a chapel. The humans are yet to figure out what they were used for."

"But I bet you do," Hope said, excitement starting to fill her as they ventured through the tunnels.

Merneith flashed her a knowing grin, eyes glinting in the shine of their flashlights. "They aren't really there. The chapels are illusions created to hide the entrance to the secrets of Egypt. To a human, they are but empty rooms. But to me? Well, my blood will open the door to the hidden chambers."

Hope looked over at her, impressed. "Your Gods really did a good job throwing off the mortals."

The young woman shrugged. "We did all the work, but our power came from them, so it is fair. Our coven has guarded this land for millennia."

"Do you really think he's down there, Osiris?"

Frowning, the witch shook her head, optimism wearing off at the tribrid's hopeful expression. While she was enthusiastic, she didn't want to lie. "Honestly, I can't be sure. My people think he was buried here. Whether or not there are any remnants you may use to summon him is anybody's guess. No one has been in there in thousands of years. I personally think he's there, as does my family. I cannot promise that you will find what you are looking for, but perhaps something will lead you in the right direction."

"I'll take anything I can get. I've mostly just been chasing windmills trying to track down my ghost of a father," she said sadly, avoiding the other girl's pitying gaze. She eyed the corridor in the dim light, using her heightened vision to lead the way as the passage began to narrow. She could feel ancient dirt crunching beneath her feet and it made her long to be in her wolf form. All she had to do was remember the sound of her father's voice grounding her and she could turn seamlessly. Running beneath the light of the full moon was what made her feel the most connected to the mother and family she'd lost.

As the daughter of Andrea Lebonair, she had rightful claim as alpha of the Crescent Clan, but she didn't want it. She had no intention of returning to New Orleans without her father. Keelin made a fine leader. With Freya leading the witches, and vampires long since gone, the city was at peace. She knew her father too well to think he'd stay away, but hopefully the Original's return wouldn't bring the city to it's knees… again. She'd heard the stories, read Alaric's bullshit books, but it was hard to imagine the man who'd willingly sacrificed himself for her trying to subjugate her aunts. Times had changed. Klaus had changed. She had faith that restoring her father to life wouldn't upset the balance of their home. And as they approached the ground beneath the chapel, faith was all she had.

"We are here," Merneith announced at last, drawing Hope from her reverie. The tribrid looked ahead at where the corridor should have ended. It looked to her like a wall of dirt, but she knew better. They'd reached the seal of Osiris at last. She took a few steps back to give the witch room to work. _"Aiktab alnasi huna alqadimat , 'adeu laka. aftah 'abwabuk wa'arni 'asrarik." _She pulled out a small antique dagger and sliced into the middle of her palm, wincing at the sharp pain.

Hope's eyes briefly flashed gold; she shut them. The coppery scent filled her nose and she idly wondered when she'd last fed. She didn't need blood to sustain her, but it did give her strength and she loved the taste like nothing else. But, like Caroline, she didn't feed on humans. She inhaled a deep breath to steady herself before opening her eyes and gasping. Where there had been nothing, there was now an entire chamber that went on as far as even she could see, and it was shrouded in darkness even her eyesight couldn't penetrate. "You did it… I think."

The witch's easy laughter filled the empty space between them as she wrapped her hand in a white bandage. "Of course I did. Did you ever doubt it?"

Hope returned her infectious smile. "Not for a second. What do we do now?"

"_We _don't do anything," she corrected the tribrid quickly, holding up her hands. "It is said there are trials to speak to Osiris, if he's still in there. That is all you, girl."

"Scared?" she asked, raising a challenging eyebrow.

"More like efficient," the witch countered with another wink. "I've got a party to get to with my girl. Two people equals two sets of trials."

"What exactly are these trials?" Hope asked skeptically. Her research didn't say anything about that, not that she'd had all that much to go on in the first place.

"I actually have no idea. Half my coven thinks it's all a myth, and Osiris was never here. The other half thinks he was, but has left. Some of our grimoires make mention of a blood sacrifice. If I were you, I'd go in the there, shed some and hope the guy shows up."

"And if he doesn't?" she queried anxiously. That didn't sound very promising. She didn't know exactly what she was looking for, but the thought of going back to another lonely hotel room empty-handed was worse than being alone on Christmas. Again. Two beds and a coffee machine: that was her life.

With a chuckle at the tribrid, the young witch replied, "Then I guess I won't be late for my date." A small smile played about her lips and it made the redhead long to be back in Mystic Falls. Lizzie used to smile at her like that. Now, no one did. But Merneith did, and Hope wouldn't be the reason her girlfriend didn't get that smile. Also, she had no idea how long it took to wait for an ancient God to smell blood and come running.

"You don't have to wait around. I'm a tribrid. I can flash faster than your Porsche," she replied lightly. "Seriously, it's ok," she added with a smile in the darkness, gently touching the young girl's elbow to reassure her. "You should go. Thank you for everything. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Hope." She leaned in and gave the other girl a hug, a gesture Hope awkwardly returned. Emotions weren't her strongest suit, and it had been years since she'd hugged anyone. She offered up a smile as the girl turned and disappeared into the darkness. She was alone again.

Once Merneith was out of sight, Hope pulled out her phone and saw that she had a message from Caroline. Again. Rolling her eyes, she sent her the GPS coordinates of the tomb and added, "Look down." Ignoring the rapid-fire set of question marks that came back seconds later, she tucked it away in her bag and ventured into the chamber. After a few minutes, she sat down on the soft, sandy desert floor and bit into her wrist, watching intently as crimson blood reigned down her forearm and dropped to the ground.

Nothing happened.

Frowning, she tried again with the other wrist.

Nothing happened.

Groaning, she realized what was wrong. She healed too quickly. There were hardly any drops making it to the sacred ground. Rifling through her knapsack, she pulled out her father's old pocketknife. "Osiris, I really hope you're listening, because this is going to suck." She inhaled a deep breath to ground herself and focused on the memory of her father's voice talking her through her first transformation. Closing her eyes, she held the blade to her throat and cleanly sliced through her carotid. A warm gush of blood drenched her red jacket and saturated the earth as she fell forward, chest heaving as she felt the wound knit back together.

"I wondered how long it would take you to figure that out," a deep voice echoed in the darkness. When she opened her eyes, a handsome Egyptian man was hovering over her, and the empty chamber was filled with the light of a thousand torches.

"You-you're him!" Hope shouted excitedly, jumping to her feet. She clutched at her neck; healing mortal wounds was itchy. Her eyes widened as she took in the ethereal glow surrounding the God of death. _Her sacrifice worked._ "You're Osiris. You're here."

The Egyptian deity nodded. "I have always been here."

Hope shook her head in amazement. "The entire world thinks you aren't. Do you have _any _idea how many people told me I was crazy for coming here? Even Caroline thought it was a waste of time, but I knew it wasn't."

"What better place to hide than where everyone thinks you are not?" The God of Resurrection chuckled at the tribrid. "But I can see you passed my test. I've been watching you for some time, Hope Mikaelson." Her eyebrows shot up in surprise; again, he simply chortled at her naiveté. "I, too, have children, young one. I have known of your plight since before your father died. He was seeking help for your beloved when you were but a child. He was a noble creature at the end of his life."

Hope snorted. "Not sure everyone agrees with you on that," she spat bitterly.

Osiris merely smiled at her. "Were he unworthy of my assistance, or you, I would not have shown myself here today. I know the land where you father lies all too well. Rest assured; I can grant that which you seek."

"You know where my father is?" she asked, shocked.

Something dark danced behind his obsidian eyes as he smiled knowingly. "I can take you there, should you prove yourself worthy of my favor."

Her back straightened as a shot of electricity volted through her, eyes widening as true hope filled her chest for the first time in a long time. She'd been so alone that past two years, wandering the deserts searching for answers that never came.

And now she was here. With Osiris.

"What do I have to do?"

A wicked smile spread across the god's face. "You are familiar with the Hall of Two Truths?"

A chill ran down the young woman's spine, but she defiantly held her head high and nodded. "It lies in Duat," she recited from Caroline's lecture. "The hearts of the dead are weighed against the Feather of Maat. The virtuous will go on to Aaru."

"And the rest will be condemned to Duat," Osiris finished for her, a menacing gleam in his charcoal eyes. "The living cannot go to the Hall of Two Truths, young one."

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm already dead," she replied flippantly.

"Not _all _of you," he pointed out shrewdly. Her fearless face faltered and he laughed again. "You demimortals are such fools. You are the first of your kind, Hope Mikaelson. Never has a vampire been born alive. You lost that life; so, yes, you can descend to Duat."

"I'll go," she said without qualm, chin still firmly lifted.

A malicious curl turned his upper lip as he smiled without humor. "The question is not of your _willingness_. It is of your _virtue_. You must sit before Amit and recite the Papyrus of Ani. The Papyrus-"

"Also known as _The Book of the Dead_," she cut him off. "It contains the forty-two negative confessions that the deceased must make to the Assessors of Maat listed in the Papyrus of Nebseni. They represent the forty-two united nomes of Egypt and are called 'the hidden Maati gods,' who feed upon Maat during the years of their lives."

"And can _you_ speak those forty-two negative confessions, young tribrid?" She gulped, and he had his answer. "No, you cannot. I see no saint before me, only a wicked young girl who covets the life of one who passed to where she cannot follow."

Hope bristled as her chest swelled with what she could not name; her eyes flashed golden. "In the eyes of a saint, I'm a stranger." Her voice faltered as she valiantly struggled to keep her voice steady, her throat was tight. "But I will love my father always and forever. I'll do whatever it takes."

The god of the dead raised a brow at her foolishness; she didn't blink. With a flourishing wave of his immortal hand, the air around them began to swirl until the sound was deafening. The wind formed a cyclone at the center of which was a gilded door. And still her head was high. The sound began to fade as the gold began to glow.

"Here lies the entrance to the land of Duat." He lay a hand on her forearm when she rapidly took a step forward without regard for the consequences. "You are your father's daughter," he said with a slow shake of his head.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"I assure you, it is not," he countered gravely, a hard edge to his tone. "Have you considered what will happen if you fail?"

"I won't," she declared with unyielding determination.

"And if you do not?" He raised a devious brow and for the first time, she felt the claws of doubt rip at the soul she didn't want to lose. "What will become of your vampiric heart _then_?" Her throat clenched as realization dawned; her jaw fell, but she had no words. His smile was an evil darkness carved into his deceptively handsome face, and for the first time, she understood why he'd been banished to the land of the dead. "If you are no longer a vampire, you cannot remain in Duat. If you are banished to the land of the living, you will never find your father. You will return to the mortal realm, and you will be condemned there until your human death. Never again will you return to the Egyptian underworld. I believe you know where your kind goes," he added maliciously. A cold sweat chilled the back of her neck as her hair stood on end; it warmed him to finally see her afraid. "_Now_, do you understand? _Now _will you speak the negative confessions?"

Hope looked forward at the twisting darkness and then back to the God of the Dead watching over her. This was the moment; she had to choose her path, choose who she wanted to be. She could return to her immortal life as a tribrid, or she could gamble everything on the presumption that she was good _enough_, for she knew in her heart that she would never be _good. _As she thought of Lizzie, the woman she'd robbed of her magic, she closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. Redemption was no easy road, but she knew the choice she must make to begin the journey.

The ancient God had been right; she _was_ the daughter of Klaus Mikaelson. With steely resolve, she nodded at Osiris, grim determination behind her cerulean eyes. This was her wish; she was sure. "I need to see my father. I understand the price, and I'm willing to take that risk."

The ancient deity nodded his approval at the young tribrid. "You're a brave girl, Hope Mikaelson. I pray you find that which you seek." With a wave of his hand, he opened the door to the Hall of Two Truths. Without turning back, she held her head high as she crossed the threshold.

The darkness swallowed her whole.


End file.
